


Treacherous Waters

by ZeroInvador



Series: Treacherous Waters [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Amélie mermaid, Ana backstory, Angry mermaids, F/F, Femslash, Gets a bit dark, Human lena, Le kiss, Lena posing as a boy to get accepted, Lena sings to impress, Lena the useless lesbian, Mentions of symmbra, Mermaids, More characters to be added, Or sort of steampunk, Pharmercy, Pharmercy will happen, Pirate Ships, Pirates, Sailor lena, Sombra jellyfish, Sombra mermaid, Steampunk AU, Still planning this shit out, Useless angry widow mermaid, Widowmaker mermaid, Widowtracer, Will add more tags as I go, because why not, honhonhon, mermaid au, sailors, some cute shit, tiny bit of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-08-28 21:24:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 49,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8463460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroInvador/pseuds/ZeroInvador
Summary: Mermaids are dangerous creatures. They lurk in deep waters, luring sailors to their deaths. What will happen when Lena Oxton comes face to face with one? WidowTracer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so! This is my first time using this site, I've been posting my stuff over on ffnet. So... Mermaid AU! Really hope you guys enjoy this.

First off, I just wanna add a disclaimer and say I don't own Overwatch, or the characters. I mean honestly, if I did then I'd make all the gay ships canon. This is just an idea that popped up and I wanted to see if it was something people would be interested in… any who, enjoy!

\-----

Resting her elbows on the ship's railing and cradling her face in her gloved hands, she gazed out at the horizon, taking in the breathtaking view in front of her. The sun rise was a beautiful sight, so peaceful at this time in the morning. The sky was tinted with pink and yellow streams, which faded slightly into a light blue. The sort of sight that you couldn't quite capture a perfect picture of, but to see it in front of you was truly magnificent.

 Looking down, she saw the dark waves lapping at the side of the steam-powered ship, crashing against the letters of the ship's name, ‘ _The Bastion_ ’, which was docked at the harbour. The cold spray tickled her forearms, making her shiver slightly from the cool morning breeze; her blue dungarees and orange t-shirt doing nothing against the cold. Lena inhaled deeply, the sea air around her smelt crisp and salty.

  _Just how I like it._

 Lena sighed dreamily. This was where she was most at ease, in the early morning before anybody else was awake, in awe of the beautiful scenery around her.

Nothing could ruin the moment for her.

Nothing except-

“THERE YOU ARE, LEO!”

Lena jumped a mile, completely snapped out of her thoughts as she whirled around to find the hulking figure of Capt. Reinhardt looming over her with a huge grin on his bearded face.

Compared to Lena -who was a little on the scrawny side-, he was bloody huge. His broad chest and shoulders about as long as the length of Lena’s whole torso. He wore a loose, white shirt with the sleeves rolled and the hem tucked into dark grey trousers, along with a pair of black boots. Tattoos adorned his arms and neck.

She winced as he clapped her on the back, knocking the wind out of her and almost knocking her over. His hands alone were three sizes bigger than her face.

  _Christ, it's like he doesn't know his own bloody strength, I swear._

His booming laugh rang in her ears as he steadied her stance. She wouldn't be surprised if his laugh caused the water to aggressively ripple below.

With a hand still covering her whole back, he patted her lightly. “Sorry, lad! Couldn't resist!” His thick German accent apparent in his deep voice.

That was another thing… Lena had passed as a boy to join this ship in the first place. She was unsure at first if the crew would accept her as a young woman, even going so far as attempting to deepen her voice and cutting her own hair into a short, spiky style; the flyaway strands now sticking on end. She wore a binder underneath her shirt, which flattened her chest enough that it wasn't noticeable, and was thankful that she already had a small chest to start with. It did nothing to hide the brass metal of her chronal accelerator however, the blue light shone through the middle of the bolted down plate, which she wore over her orange t-shirt.

The thing was, she wanted the crew to see her for her skills, not her gender. She felt like she'd had enough sexist quips from her last crew members, which dissuaded her from showing her true identity.

What surprised her the most, was that these crew member actually _believed_ that she was a boy. Honestly, you could tell a mile off that Lena was too pretty to be a bloke. They were also nicer than any crew she'd ever been with before, and she hoped that maybe one day, she'd show her true self.

But for now, her name was Leo. She'd decided that a name which was sort of similar to her own already would be the best bet. She was still getting used to it however, a few times she'd been oblivious to her new name being called.

Leaning back against the railing, Lena smiled up at the large man, her eyes wrinkling at the corners. She gave him a mock salute.

“Hiya, big guy. You're up early, ain't you?”

So used to being the only one awake during this hour, she was surprised that their Captain was awake.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest as he looked down at her. “Have you forgotten already? Today is the big day!”

Lena faltered.

_Big day? What's happening today?_

She wracked her brains, trying to remember anything to do with today as she noticed the rest of the crew filing out of their cabins; most of them grumbling about the ungodly hour. She noticed Torbjörn and Lúcio, the latter was already wide awake and singing at the top of his lungs, trying to lift the spirits of the rest of the men.

She smiled at her friend. _He's probably annoying the shit out of ‘em instead. He tries, bless him._

The ship's medic followed closely behind them.

Angela was an interesting addition to the crew members. The first woman she'd seen on a ship so far. It made Lena silently wish that she'd come clean, because maybe this lot were alright?

She dreaded when that time would come, all the different scenarios that ran through her thoughts were enough to keep her awake for hours at nig-

“Lad? You still with me?”

Lena blinked rapidly, realising it was her that he was still talking to. She looked up to see his expression had turned concerned.

“Eh? Oh, course, lo- er… you big lug!” She laughed nervously, almost calling him ‘love'. She was sure that wouldn't go down well while posing as a bloke.

_Whew, close one._

She was thankful for how oblivious Reinhardt was, her cover up going completely over his head.

“HAHAR! I am surprised you would forget! We're making a move from the dock today, back to Ilios, remember?”

Of course, how could she forget that? Ilios was her favourite harbour, after her home town of course. The white sandy beaches were beautiful, and the food was to die for.

She smiled. _Still not as good as fish n’ chips from home._

“We'll be moving out in a while, you might want to make your checks below.” He told her, jerking his thumb in the direction of the hold.

Lena nodded, pushing off of the railing with a sigh.

Making her way over to the double doors on the main decking, she threw a quick wave back over her shoulder.

“Cheers, Capt!”

As soon as she'd got below deck, she breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she loved being on the main deck, it was a relief to be alone and away from prying eyes. Down here in her holding area, she didn't have to worry about how she looked or acted.

The lighting of the hold was quite dim, the light streaming through a large, circular peep-hole window near her desk, which was cluttered with papers and blueprint drawings. The rest of her hold included a small bunk which was bolted to the wall with chains, as well as her personal belongings; her old pilot jacket hung from her desk chair, and a large collection of books took up the shelf on the far wall.

It was often that Lena could be found at her desk, drawing away the ideas in her head- which she had a load of. Her latest included a reinforced wing design for the ship.

_Imagine a flying steam-powered ship!_

She grinned widely at that thought, a bubbly feeling rising in her chest. She always had loved flying.

Being the engineer of the ship had her down here more than with the rest of the crew, usually. As _The Bastion_ was an old, steam powered ship, she had to maintain it more than any previous ships she'd been on.

Grabbing her checklist and snapping her bright orange goggles on tightly, she began her regular maintenance; checking the clock dials which told her the oil and steam levels, making sure there was enough fuel stocked for the journey, unscrewing the bolts of the brass machinery to oil the chains inside and making sure to tighten any nuts and bolts that could have become loose.

Sometimes, all she had to do was give the machine a hard thwack with her spanner for the clock dials to turn green. Some engineers underestimated how a good punch would do the trick.

After re-tightening the bolts at the front of the machine, she took a step back to admire her handy work; wiping her hands in her overalls, she was pleased with the gentle hum and the whirring of the green faced clocks.

_Looks like we're ready for take off!_

Skipping over to the tannoy system, which was built into the wall by her desk and plonking herself down on her rickety wooden chair, she gave the all clear to Reinhardt before slumping back in her chair.

With nothing else to do for the time being, Lena leaned back, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling; hearing the heavy footfalls of the crew members above her as they prepared to leave.

She idly twiddled her thumbs, starting to become bored. Her knees bounced with unused energy.

Soon they'd be arriving at Ilios’ port, give or take a few hours. Lena could hardly wait, itching to walk along the harbour and take it all in. She could already feel the cool, white sand between her to-

A knock at the door startled her, she yelped, almost falling backwards off her chair as she scrambled up quickly.

_Gotta get used to that._

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she made her way over to the door. Grabbing the handle, she opened it a small fraction, enough to see that it was Angela on the other side.

“Oh! Hiya, love!” She grinned as soon as she noticed it was Angela, pulling the door more widely open to greet her. “What brings you down to my humble abode?”

Lena didn't much care about hiding who she was with Angela, in fact, she was sure that the medic already knew. Although she knew the woman wouldn't say anything, she'd still keep up the pretense.

The medic was one of the sweetest women she'd ever met; always concerned about her wellbeing and needs and keeping her company when she was below deck. She was like a mum to the whole crew, often she would bring food down, complaining that Lena missed meals and was too skinny.

Angela laughed softly, reaching forward to ruffle her hair fondly.

Her laugh was something else. The best kind of medicine. It made Lena smile widely.

“Unfortunately, it's strictly business- our captain sent me to fetch you, there's a team meeting in his quarters”.

“Meeting? What for?”

Angela beckoned her out. “We'll find out when we get there. Come!”

Closing the door behind her, she followed Angela up to the main decking, breathing in the fresh air and happy to be out of her stuffy room.

“How are you holding up?” Angela asked, glancing over her shoulder as they made their way to the captain's cabin.

Lena thought about it a second, before shrugging it off. “Oh y’know me, same old. Glad to be makin’ a move though! I'm excited about Ilios,” She swung her arms as she walked. “What about you, love?”

The medic smiled. “Just saving lives. You know, the usual.”

It sounded like she was playing it off, but Angela took much pride in her work; most people actually thought of her as a miracle worker.

As soon as they'd got through the door, Reinhardt greeted them both with a wave before sitting around the big oval table; covered in maps and papers, along with small wooden ship figures scattered here and there.  

Lena took in her surroundings. A large window sat at the back of the room, the morning light streaming through brightly. It was a rather spacious room with some interesting decor; the walls mostly covered in maps or animal skins, trophies of Reinhardt’s adventures. On the shelves she saw telescopes, scales and glass jars, some filled with gold coins while others contained odd items such as animal teeth and pickled shark fins. Above the table, she could see nets and harpoons that hung from the ceiling.

A booming clap echoed throughout the room as Reinhardt brought his hands together, effectively drawing everyone's attention to him; the room going silent.

“Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I've gathered you here.” He strolled his way around the table slowly, hands held behind his back.

He moved to the side of the table, taking one of the wooden ship figures between his large fingertips and holding it up to the light before moving it across the map. A frown graced his hard facial features.

 _Must be serious,_ Lena thought. _He isn't often this serious._

“There have been reports surrounding Ilios, worrying ones.” He pulled an old calendar out from under the rest of the papers on the table. Lena looked down and could see that the next few weeks were marked with thick red circles. “Any of you ever seen a mermaid?”

The room was filled full of quiet mumbling as a few of the men murmured to themselves and eachother.

_Mermaids? Seems a bit surreal, doesn't it?_

Lena’s eyes widened. She'd been told the stories, everyone had. They were the sort of scary stories that were told at night, around a campfire. The legends of mermaids weren't pretty ones, they were as deadly as they were beautiful.

She remembered Winston, her old scientist friend telling her about the sea witches, and how they could walk on land. It was frightening to think that they could easily walk among us.

You wouldn't know, until it's too late.

The captain cleared his throat, everyone's attention switching back to him. “No? I thought not. If any of you had, you would be dead.”

Reinhardt jabbed his fingers on the current month's page. His eyes went dark. “I am sure you've all heard the stories surrounding them, so I will not repeat. A word of caution, it's their mating season. Be on your guard at all times, I would hate to lose any of you to _them.”_ He spat the last word.

Before dismissing the crew, he briefly went over the directions to their destination. Though the atmosphere had turned quite grim a few moments ago, the men had bounced back surprisingly, rather quickly. They would take the shortest route, which would take around a few hours without any detours.

Torbjörn had told them that the weather was set to be clear, which was a relief. It was uncanny, the man with the black eye patch and white scraggly beard was rarely ever wrong about the weather. It was more of a surprise when he was wrong, to be honest.

He'd been here much longer than Lena had, even shown her the ropes when it came to maintaining the ship; being a good engineer himself.

With nothing else to keep herself occupied, Lena made her way back to her hold. She wasn't needed much on the top deck, there were enough men to man the ship without her. Sometimes she liked to hang around Lúcio, he'd taught her a few of the songs he knew since she'd arrived. Every time they were together now, he'd make her sing with him. Or have a _jamming session,_ as he liked to call it.

Not that she had minded not being needed above, however, she preferred to be drawing or reading down below.

Picking up one of her many books without looking at the covers, she collapsed back down on her bed; swinging her legs up to cross over each other as she flipped to the beginning and began to read.

She figured out which book she'd picked up as soon as she read the first sentence.

_Ah, Mechanical & Material Engineering._

 ---

Hours had passed; the chatter of the crew above deck had quietened down as the men dispersed.

She’d become so engrossed in her book, that she hadn't realised that her eyes had started to strain while trying to read in the quickly darkening room.

Blinking rapidly and looking out the window, she was surprised to see that the sun was already setting; the sky mixed with deep oranges and pinks as the last dregs of sunlight slipped beneath the sea.

Folding over the corner of the page and placing the book on her pillow, she got up gingerly; her muscles ached from being in the same position for too long. She stretched, raising her arms above her head until she heard a few clicks from her aching shoulders.

Once satisfied, she walked over to her desk and sat down next to the window, peering out at the starry sky.

_Clear as expected. Old Torb was right again._

Lena loved the night sky, just as much as the morning sky. Glancing at the few diagrams of the solar system on her desk, she traced her fingers across each planet. She had planned on buying a telescope with her next pay, declining when Reinhardt had offered her his own brass telescope.

No, she wanted to earn it herself. It was more special to her that way, and she was quite proud of that.

Lena yawned, her eyes drooping slightly. Reading had really taken it out of her, it seemed.

Resting her cheek against the window, she felt her consciousness ebbing away as sleep beckoned to her; her eyes drifting out of focus before finally shutting as she slipped into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunlight streamed through the circular window of Lena's cabin, warming her cheeks and making the darkness glow red behind her eyes. She awoke to the sound of squawking seagulls, and her cheek sore from leaning against the window.

She cracked her eyes open and rubbed her face, trying to regain the feeling there before sitting up; blinking the sleep from her eyes while yawning. Lena was surprised to see how late in the morning it was; the sun already high in the sky.

Above her, feet shuffled and clunked, along with the sound of loud chatter on the main deck. A loud bell rang in the distance.

She gasped, bolting back towards the window. What she saw lit her face up with a wide smile.

_Ilios._

She let out a laugh and hopped up, grabbing her jacket and goggles before scrambling through the door. Getting above deck would give her a better view.

Shrugging on her jacket and using her goggles to push back her hair, Lena climbed the steps up to the decking. Straight away, she felt the cool wind blow against her face. The deck was busy, the crew hauling the cargo off the ship in an assortment of different containers; wooden boxes, bags and satchels, some odd looking jars- that Lena failed to get a better look of before they were taken out of view- and a few heavy looking chests.

Lena manoeuvred her way through the crates, dodging and darting to stay out of the way, narrowly missing bumping into a few containers that were being carried, by swerving to her left quickly.

Reinhardt stood near the docking area, clipboard in hand, checking off the goods that left the ship. Noticing Lena, he waved her over.

“Captain? Somethin’ you need?”

Looking over the sheet in his hands, he flipped the page and squinted.

“Aye.”

Leaning down to her level, he held the board up to her face, pointing out a few of the entries. “Would you mind picking up some of these, lad?”

Lena looked down at the list, smiling when she saw the last item.

“So, you want me to trade for these,” She took the list from him, reading it more thoroughly. On the list she could see animal fat, matches, gunpowder, sugar and medical supplies, the words ‘ _for Angela_ ’ were sprawled hastily next to that request. Further down the list she saw an untidy sprawl, which looked like a last minute addition. “and get you some fish n’ chips? Y'know they taste way better in King's Row, yeah?”

Reinhardt grunted. “I am well aware.”

Lena chuckled, nudging his side. “We'll get you some when we're next in my hometown, eh?”

That made him smile. “That would be grand.” He handed her a large pouch full of gold coins, more than enough for trading, then made a shooing motion with his hand. “Now get going!”

As her feet hit the platform, she breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she loved being out on the open waters, it was a nice change being on solid land.

They were docked at the main harbour, which was, as usual jam packed and busy. She could hear music and singing, probably from the pub, which she would have fun visiting later. Plenty of ships littered the port, which was surrounded by dozens of wooden huts, scattered as far as the eye could see. The medical supplies were the first thing she bought, lucky that the stall was so easy to find among the rest. The bright red crossed sign giving it away instantly. Lena haggled, finally settling on giving five bronze Doubloons coins for the supplies that Angela needed. She clipped the medium sized box (which contained bandages, an assortment of syringes and plasters, a few antiseptic creams and several packs of painkillers) to her overalls.

Lena walked further into town, looking over the many other stalls. She could see that some were selling animal skins and trinkets, a few held a number of deadly looking weapons and nets, or sold a wide variety of different foods; from fresh produce to hundreds of spice jars. Lena took it all in, feeling great from having a change of scenery, the busy bustling of the town felt comfortable to her.

She breathed in deeply, the cloud of food smells around her mingling together. She caught whiffs of spices and fish, coming from the closest stall to her left.

_Reinhardt can wait a bit, can't he?_

“COME GET YOUR FREE SAMPLES!”

Snapping her head in the direction the voice came from, she could see steaming hot plates, completely choc-a-block with mountains of food. Waiting for her.

_… Course he can._

She grinned, thanking the gods before making her way over to the closest stall. Ready to try anything and everything.

...

 

_Oh, the regret I'm feeling..._

Lena groaned, now completely stuffed full of free samples of spiced fish. Not even thinking to check the watch on her wrist, she wondered how long she had been eating for. She hoped she hadn't been too long, Reinhardt was probably waiting for his supplies.

_Gotta walk this off._

She winced, getting up from the small barrel she sat on. Eating like a pig probably wasn't the best idea… _free samples though._

Still, the weather was nice, and taking a stroll along the beach wouldn't take long.

She set off, leaving the booths and stalls, making her way closer to the harbour.

Once there, she bent down to take off her boots and socks, ready to walk across the sand. Getting sand in your boots was something you had to get used to, though Lena still tried her hardest to prevent it.

With her shoes swinging in her hand, she pressed forward, feeling the warm, gritty sand between her toes. Moving closer to the shore line, she wandered further down the beach; the foamy waves rising up to her ankles, and the medic pack bouncing against her thigh.

It was rather peaceful here, maybe at some point she'd consider living here a while. She wondered where life would take her next, or if she'd stay with her current group of sailors. A good job was hard to come by, and she was lucky to land the one she currently had. It was well paid with a friendly atmosphere, a lot more than she could say for her last one.

Maybe one day, she'd pilot again. Buy her own little biplane. The thought of donning her old, British pilot jacket and aviators brought a smile to her lips. Often she saw planes fly over the sea as they sailed to each destination, making her long to be up there with it. She sighed.

“One da-”

A piercing shriek pulled her from her thoughts. Her heartbeat sped up; focused eyes darting back and forth, looking for the source. Her breath quickened as she readied herself for anything, cramming her hand into her overall pocket and fishing out the first tool her fingers touched. A heavy wrench. She never went anywhere without at least one tool on her, what kind of engineer would she be otherwise?

The woman's shrill scream cut through the air yet again, making Lena panicky. She whirled around, trying to find where the commotion was coming from.

A desperate woman calling for help? But where is sh-

“We should teach her a lesson. This'll teach you to try and mess with us, _bitch!”_

Deep laughing along with a loud slap came soon after, making her gasp in alarm. Peering around the side of a solitary beach hut, she found the woman in question, trapped underneath a thick fishing net and surrounded by three burly looking fishermen.

They looked pretty ordinary, or so Lena thought. Dressed in your average, dark coloured fishing waders and wellies. One wore a hat which was adorned with hooks and fishing flies. On his left was a man who was a bit beefier than the other two. He wore a life jacket which was covered in badges. The last fisherman was bald, short and stocky. His hands and lower arms were covered in tattoos.

_Jesus, they're bloody huge._

She looked from her wrench, then back to the three blokes in front of her, mind already made up. They might be big, but Lena was fast. She'd use that to her advantage.

“Oi, tossers! You're real brave taking on a defenceless woman like that!”

Calling them names probably wasn't the best way to sort this, but she didn't care. These arseholes needed to be dealt with. Funny how she found herself in these sorts of situations, trouble never could stay away for long.

One by one, the men spun around to face her. Their faces filled with anger.

The biggest grunt with the hat stepped forward, towering over her. His hard face scowling as he snarled at her. She held her ground, determined not to let this brute intimidate her. Up close, she noticed that his shirt was ripped in several places, deep red gash marks bit into his skin. Looking over the other two, she noticed similar marks adorning their skin as well.

“You call _this_ a ‘defenceless’ woman? Listen, _boy,_ and you listen good. This _thing,_ right ‘ere?” He gestured towards the beaten up woman. “Is a monster. Deadlier than anything you've ever seen, I'd wager.” He kicked her, none too lightly and spat down at her.

“A sea dweller. A filthy _mermaid”._

_Mermaid??_

Her eyes widened as she looked down at the woman underneath the net- who was looking back at her through sharp eyes. Curious, bright yellow irises bore into hers, watching her every move.

Other than that, she couldn't see much, only the fact that the poor woman had taken quite a beating. It made Lena's blood boil.

_Mermaid or not, I'll be damned if I don't do something to help her._

“Why don't you run along home, kid. Forget this ever happ-”

She swung her arm around and struck the man swiftly in the face, whacking him straight across the jaw with her wrench. Effectively cutting him off. A sickening _crunch_ rang loudly as it made contact. She was pretty sure that broke his jaw. He spun, falling forward and dropping to the ground. His dislocated jaw hanging wide open, his blood seeping into the sand. Completely knocked out.

_Good._

She growled as she looked over the other two. If she wasn't so pissed off, she'd be quite amused at the sight before her. Both men were looking from her, to the unconscious figure on the floor, then to each other. The shock evident on their brutish features.

She twirled the wrench in her hand, a neat trick she'd learnt from Torbjörn. Lena only hoped it looked menacing. Not that she wasn't familiar with duels, Lena had her fair share of scraps in the past. This one however, she hoped to avoid. She made a mental note to ask Reinhardt for some lessons.

Lena straightened up, staring them down, defiantly. “Leave her alone. I won't ask twice.”

As if awoken from a spell, the two grunts snapped out of it, advancing on her. Sighing mentally, she prepared herself for a fight. At least they didn't know about her chronal accelerator.

They circled her, arms outstretched menacingly. The short, bald one cracked his tattooed knuckles. The other grinned maliciously at her.

She blinked out of the way as both of them charged at the same time towards her, making them both look around in confusion as she appeared behind them. The look on their faces was priceless as she feigned boredom, picking at the peeling red paint on her wrench. The tattooed man lunged for her, his hands grasping at thin air as she blinked again, back into her last position. She took as many jabs with the wrench as she could, blinking around and hitting them in various places. Lena laughed before feeling a large pair of arms wrap around her, making her struggle in panic.

_No!_

Lena kicked her legs out, hitting as many body shots she could. One of her kicks hit its mark, striking the man in the balls. He grunted in pain, releasing his tight hold enough for her to throw her head back, smashing him on the bridge of his nose. The weight on her middle disappeared instantly, dropping her on the ground as the man behind her howled. She looked behind her shoulder, noticing the blood gushing from his crushed nose, which now looked quite off center.

_Think I improved it, really._

She rounded on the last guy, who had hurried to haul his friend to his feet. He looked ready to attack again before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Fuckin’ freak, he is!”

The behemoth of a man scowled at her, spitting out the blood that ran from his nose. Both men hastily moved over to the still unconscious body, the shortest picking him up in a fireman's lift.

“Let the blue bitch ‘ave him!”

Backing away slowly, with their eyes still on her as the grunts hobbled further back. Once far enough, they turned and ran, leaving her alone.

… Or not so alone.

Her blood ran cold, suddenly remembering the reason why she tussled with them in the first place. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see the other figure still beneath the net.

_… Surprised she hasn't gut me yet, unless she's too weak to._

She was unsure of what to do. Sure, she fought off those men for this mysterious woman, but to actually engage her? Especially after what her captain had said?

_“Be on your guard at all times, I would hate to lose any of you to_ them _.”_ His words still rang through her temple.

Lena sighed. The least she could do was see if she was alright though, right?

She made her way over slowly, measuring her steps. Afraid of startling the woman into attacking her. Her every step was watched, making her feel uneasy. Those eyes of hers were downright predatory, she looked ready to pounce on Lena. She was sure that the woman would, if she made any mistakes. About a metre away, she chose to speak up.

“You, uh… Alright, love?” She winced. Course she's not, idiot.

The look she received in return would have killed her, if looks could kill. The woman's eyes narrowed into sharp slits, her nostrils flared. She said nothing, not that Lena was expecting her to. Deciding to bite the bullet, she got closer and carefully dropped to her knees next to the other woman. She ran her fingers along the threads of the net, looking for an opening.

Lena kept her eyes on the mermaid, afraid that if she let her attention go elsewhere, she'd regret it. Always be aware of the predator, never show weakness.

_What the hell am I doing? This is such a bad idea. Bad idea, bad idea, bad ide-_

“Are you just going to sit there staring?” Her voice held quite a husky, low purr. Her French accent noticeable, though she spoke in perfect English.

_French? Really? Wasn't expecting that._

Lena raised an eyebrow. “I _am_ trying to help you, y'know.” Looking her full in the face, she gave her a pointed look. “Sorry for not letting my guard down enough for you to shank me.” She added sarcastically.

Searching for the net opening proved useless, she'd have to cut it open. Without thinking, she dug a hand into her overalls, pulling out a pocket knife. The blade sprang open at the flick of her wrist.

The blue woman tensed and hissed loudly at the sharp little knife in Lena's hand. Her own hands curling into claws, ready to wrap around the young sailor’s throat.

“Whoa!” Lena dodged the swipe at her neck, scrambling out of harm's way. She caught the woman's eyes on her knife, realisation hitting her at what she'd just done.

“I didn't- I wasn't gonna-” her heart hammered in her chest. So the other woman wasn't as helpless as she originally thought… another reason why this was a bad idea.

“Do not think of me as so easily trusting, _chérie_ .” her honeyed words just a little _too_ sweet. Everything about this woman just _screamed_ dangerous.

“Give me your knife.”

Lena gave her an incredulous look.

“You're ‘aving a laugh, like I'd give you my only weapon!” She wanted to laugh. This woman seriously had the gall to make demands of her? “You can either let _me_ get you out, or I'm walking.”

The mermaid chuckled, humorlessly. It sent shivers down Lena's spine.

“You won't leave, I know your type. The _hero_ . You did _rescue_ me, after all.” She was smirking slightly. Lena didn't even need to look at her to tell, she could hear the smug tone of her voice.

Lena sighed, running a frustrated hand through her hair, making it stand even more on end. The woman was right, scarily so. She'd just fought with three beefy blokes, not like she was gonna just up and leave. Barely any contact and the woman seemed to know her character.

“Fine. You just remember that I saved your arse, preferably _before_ you decide to do me in.”

Instead of getting closer, Lena flicked the blade back under the safety lock before throwing it on the sand, next to the woman. She watched the woman take the pocket knife between her slender fingers. She flicked open the blade, copying Lena from earlier. The mermaid studied it, running a finger over the sharp edge, as if testing the sharpness.

Nodding to herself, she started to cut the threads of her prison.

Lena watched her, noticing that every now and then, the woman's gaze flicked to her before resuming her work. Lena had questions, and while she knew it was a long shot, it could be worth trying.

“So…” She shifted uncomfortably, the mermaid's gaze snapped to her. Lena cleared her throat. “How'd you get caught up in this mess anyway?”

The other woman studied her, her face unreadable. Lena was sure she was debating on whether to answer her or not. Then…

“That is neither your concern, or business.”

Lena huffed out a small laugh. “Just trying to make conversation, love.”

“Well don't. I prefer you _silencieux.”_

She raised an eyebrow at that. This woman was a bit on the touchy side, wasn't she? Lena didn't know much French, but it wasn't hard to figure what she said. They resumed their silence, the only sounds were the foamy waves rushing over the shore, and the snapping of nylon strings.


	3. Chapter 3

Big thank you to you guys for reading this! Seriously, those reviews just make me squee. Always got the biggest grin on my face when I see them.

I've actually drawn and coloured an idea of what my Widowmaker mermaid will look like, and she won't look like a simple mermaid with just a tail, because where would the fun be in that? Anyways, enjoy chapter 3!

 

...

 

Time seemed to take forever, or so Lena thought.

She'd been sat in the sand, waiting for God knows how long as the silence stretched, which wore away at her already thin patience. She occasionally slipped her hand underneath the cool, dry sand, letting the grains fall between her fingers as she lifted it back up.

The sun had began to set, leaving the beach swathed in a deep orange glow, with a shimmering reflection in the calm evening waves. The sound of sailors singing merrily behind her reached her ears. _Probably coming back from the pub,_ Lena thought wistfully.

Although she was bored, it didn't mean her attention was diverted from focusing on the danger in front of her, who was still cutting away at her bonds. Her eyes intently searched for any sudden changes to the French woman, whose gaze suddenly flicked forwards her.

The woman switched her attention to Lena, her eyebrow quirking. “You are still staring.”

_Course I'm bloody staring, you've got a sharp knife in your claws._

Lena narrowed her eyes. “I'm _observing_ actually. Against my better judgement, I just gave a mermaid a sharp object.” She was already starting to regret that decision.

The woman tutted, holding the pocket knife up to the last dregs of sunlight; inspecting the design before looking back at Lena. “And what do you suspect I will do with it, hm?”

Lena scowled and sat up straighter. “Let's see, shall we?” She brought a hand up, ready to count off ideas.

“For starters, you could easily throw that knife my way, probably take out an eye. Or you could even embed it in my throat- OR, through my chest. All my vital organs are open to you.” She rattled off the woman's options with her fingers. All the while, the other woman looked quite amused at her accusations.

“Actually y'know what? You probably don't even _need_ my knife. From all the stories I've heard, you're as deadly as all hell.” Lena huffed, angrily.

That seemed to bring a slight smile to the other woman's lips. She slowly finished off cutting at the loose net strings. “I suppose I am, aren't I?”

She looked rather proud of herself. Lena scoffed.

Before she could retaliate with a comeback however, the netting sheet was lifted completely, revealing the stranger. Lena snapped her mouth shut immediately, her eyes going wide as she took in the figure before her.

Her eyes raked over the mermaid, taking in every little detail. She had the palest blue skin Lena had ever seen, almost periwinkle in colour. Deep purple hair pulled up into a neat, high ponytail, which draped over her one shoulder like silk. Her face slightly bruised and bloodied- yet still beautiful -held a pair of full, pouty lips, a small upturned nose and a jawline that could cut diamonds. Her sharp, dark eyebrows were arched perfectly over her golden cat-like eyes.

Lowering her eyes, Lena realised that she was without much clothing, the few pieces covering the woman's taut body were scraps of cloth, in an assortment of different sizes and colours. Lena's eyes darted all over, realising that both sides of the woman's waist were deeply ridged. _Gills maybe?_ Her clawed hands held small webs between the fingers.

She wasn't much special to look at, but Lena knew better. This wasn't her main form, the legs gave that away instantly. Lena wondered what she _really_ looked like.

The woman stood up gracefully, stretching her aching limbs, raising her strong arms above her head. In doing so, she showed off more of her lithe body. She was taller than Lena, about a head or so. Her carved legs were toned and long, the muscles in them apparent.

Without warning, she turned and headed towards the water, not looking back at Lena once.

“H-hey! Wait up!” Lena scrambled to her feet and sped forward, blinking towards the woman while still keeping a small distance between them. A good thing too, she still had Lena's knife clutched in her fist, which she pointed towards the young sailor in warning. With her own knife directed towards her face, Lena wasn't going to get much closer. She raised her hands up in a peaceful gesture. Before she could speak up, the other woman broke the silence.

“Do not follow me, _human_ .” She seethed, her gaze threatening. The hand clutching Lena’s knife tightened around the handle, her knuckles turning white. Lena hadn't expected the woman to be her friend, though she had hoped for a somewhat peaceful truce. _Wishful thinking, clearly._

“You wouldn't kill me after I just saved your life, would you?”

She hoped to God that the woman would show her some gratitude. Even though the only stories Lena had heard about mermaids were unpleasant, she was sure there was something more. Something that the stories had missed. What reasons would a mermaid have for killing humans? Surely they didn't just do it for fun, right?

The blue skinned woman hesitated, now pointing the blade at Lena's chest. Her eyes were curious as she considered her choices. It was clear that the woman still didn't trust her, Lena wasn't surprised. Slowly, the mermaid lowered the blade, still keeping her eyes fixed on Lena. Her head cocked to the side.

“What do you want?”

Lena sighed in relief, lowering her hands to swing at her sides.

“Oh I don't know, a ‘ _thank-you_ ’ would've been nice.”

She received a sour look in return, as if the woman had eaten something unpleasant. She scowled and looked away. If Lena hadn't been listening for it, she would have missed the quiet “ _merci”_ the woman gave her.

Lena almost snorted. So this woman was the proud type. “Didn't quite catch that, love.”

The woman gave her a haughty look. “I will not repeat myself, _chérie.”_

_Alright, new tactic._

Her eyes flicked from the knife in the woman's hand, back to her face. “Can I have my pocket knife back then?”

The mermaid turned the blade over, her thumb skimming over the smooth hilt. She flicked the safety lock on but placed it in the pouch around her waist.

Lena's heart sank. Was she seriously not gonna give it back?

“ _Non.”_

“But I-!”

“I did not ask for your help.”

Lena frowned. Asking for her knife had been asking for help, hadn't it? _Asked_ for probably wasn't the correct word, she more or less demanded it. “Well you clearly needed it.”

The mermaid wrinkled her nose.

“I had it under control.”

Lena barked out a laugh. “Yeah, right! You were getting beaten to a pulp before I intervened.” She crossed her arms. “And here I thought _your_ kind were the dangerous ones.”

The first thing she noticed was how the other woman's cat-like eyes narrowed dangerously at her words. Her pupils constricted into tiny slits. She bristled, a low growl seemed to emit from her throat. Her hands curled into fists.

“ _My_ kind?” her voice had turned dangerously low.

_… Oh no. Why'd I have to open my gob?_

“Do not talk to me about dangers you do not understand, _human._ ” The woman's voice no longer sounded honeyed. A harsh gravelly tone took its place, with her accent thicker than before. “It is _your_ kind that kill _mine_ . _Your_ kind that pollute our home. _Your_ kind that hunt ours to extinction!” She snapped angrily, her pearly white teeth bared.

Lena just stood there in shock, gaping at the other woman as she turned on her heel and ran. For someone who normally had a tail, she was pretty well coordinated and swift with her legs. She contemplated running after the mystery woman, and she would have, if she hadn't heard the loud telltale splash behind the cabin.

She peeked behind the wooden structure and sure enough, the mermaid was nowhere to be seen. Large ripples in the water were the only clue left behind.

 _Guess she's gone… well, there goes_ that _plan._

Lena sighed, rubbing a hand over her tired face. She looked out over the horizon, hoping to see a tail but instead, she saw nothing. She turned and made her way back towards the town, grabbing her shoes and socks off the sand as she went and bending down to put them on quickly.

Her mind raced as she strolled. The past couple of hours had been a weird few to say the least. She'd met a mermaid and lived to tell the tale, and it was something she still didn't believe. Whether she _would_ tell it however, she wasn't sure. Lena couldn't put a finger on how she felt, as if what had happened hadn't quite sunk in yet.

Lena wondered if she'd ever see the mermaid again, and if so, when, where and how? The sea is a vast body of water and she was sure there were plenty of mermaids out there. How would she ever find the right one?

More importantly if she _did_ decide to tell her tale, how would Reinhardt take it? Angela? Torb? What if they banned her from the beach?

Lena frowned. No… She was pretty sure she knew her Captain enough to know that he'd be proud of her, proud that she hadn't succumbed to a mermaid's charm. Angela on the other hand… would definitely be worried sick. Her heart clenched. _Poor Angela,_ she thought. She often felt the ship's medic was like a second mother to her.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she drew closer to the stalls that no longer held all the trinkets and food from before. The music could still be heard from a short distance away, outside a cosy looking cottage pub with a dark green sign that read ‘ _The Hog’s Head’_ in fancy white writing **.** The few people she'd heard singing earlier were still outside with their arms around each other's shoulders, struggling to stay upright in their drunken stupor and still singing.

She peered through the misted window, trying to get a good look of what it was like inside, but to no avail. The windows were too grimy but from what she _could_ see, it didn't look too busy or rowdy.

_… Maybe one drink couldn't hurt-_

“Lena? Is that you?”

Lena's ears perked up and a smile lit up her face. She knew that voice!

Whirling around, she was greeted by the familiar face of her old friend, Winston. Her cheeks ached from the huge grin she was giving. She was surprised to see him here, last she saw him was over in Gibraltar a few months ago. Lena felt like it'd been _ages_ since she last saw him, though the gorilla looked exactly the same as when she left him. He peered down at her through his black framed glasses, a small smile touched his lips.

“Winston!” She let out a small laugh, jumping onto one of his beefy arms and hugging it to her chest briefly before letting go. “You're a sight for sore eyes!”

“Hullo, Lena,” He took off his glasses, breathing on the lenses and wiping them on his lab coat before adjusting them back over his large nose. He squinted at her. “you look… different.” Winston took in her short spiky hair and overalls, giving her a questioning look.

“I… it's a long story, love.” Lena rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She gestured in front of her, forwards the pub doors. “Shall we?”

Winston nodded before leading the way, walking through the wooden doors before holding them open for Lena to follow.

The inside of the pub was dimly lit by the soft yellow lamps which decorated each small table, and from the rafters above. Framed paintings and an assortment of drinking glasses hung from the dark green wall-papered walls, giving off a cosy feel. The dark wooden bar held a wide variety of spirits and ale, both on the shelves and the counter. She could see the walls behind the bar were pinned with old photos- some black and white while others looked more recent -and a bottle cap collection, each one with a different design and logo. At the back she could see a small stage with a band of sailors playing the music she'd heard from before, the sound of a fiddle, harmonica and an accordion reached her ears. Lena breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of damp wood and beer. Not quite like her old watering hole in London, but it felt just as homely all the same.

Walking over to the bar, she ordered two pints and a packet of pork scratchings from the omnic barman before leaning back on her elbows and settling against the counter, facing her friend.

She gave him a wide smile. “I didn't expect to see you here, big guy. It's been forever! You here for business or pleasure?”

He chuckled lowly. “Business I'm afraid. I'm searching here for a doctor by the name of Angela Ziegler. I was told she would be in town for the next couple of days.”

“Angie? We're on the same ship. What do you need her for?”

“Ah, I was told her research on nanobiology has made a massive breakthrough. She's improved the treatment for many known illnesses and I hoped to share my own knowledge. Nanotech is a big thing, Lena! Not to say she _needs_ my help, however.” He added quickly.

Lena smiled. Winston always did love everything to do with science, she could see how excited he was at the prospect of gaining new knowledge. He even helped her build the chronal accelerator, contributing to the scientific parts while she blueprinted the design and creation.

Their drinks were placed neatly on the counter. Lena thanked the barman, offering him a handful of silver coins and her thanks before grabbing both drinks and her snack. She set them on the nearest table, making sure to use the beer mats provided. As they both took their seats, Winston glanced at her curiously.

“Enough about me, Lena. Whatever happened to you?”

Lena fidgeted on her rickety wooden stool, her knees bouncing on the frame. She wasn't sure how to approach this territory. Even though she trusted Winston, she found the recent changes in her life difficult to explain. She took a large sip of her pint, wrinkling her nose at the first taste and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

She placed the glass back on the table and cleared her throat. “Well, funny story actually… would you believe it if I said I was posing as a bloke, just to be accepted by my crew members?”

Winston frowned. “But you said Dr. Ziegler-”

“Yep, she's on the ship.” Lena sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I didn't know the crew were as friendly… you remember the letter I sent you about the last lot, yeah?” Winston nodded, waiting for her to continue.

She wrapped her arms around herself. “I just thought they'd be the same, y'know? It's a mess, Winston!”

“Lena… you could just tell them the truth.”

She scoffed, “And you think that'd work? I've been lying to them for weeks. What if they won't trust me? What if they kick me off the ship? What if-”

Lena found she couldn't speak, realising one of Winston’s large hands had covered her mouth, effectively shutting her up. She huffed in annoyance, jerking her face away.

He took his chance at her silence. “And what if they _do_ accept you, hm?”

“You don't know that…”

Winston shrugged, “It's worth a try, isn't it? I would do it sooner rather than later if I were you. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be. ”

Lena hated the fact that he was right, it _would_ get harder the longer she left it. But how the hell would she bring up that sort of conversation? It wasn't something you could just bring up lightly. She had some thinking to do.

.

After finishing their drinks, the two made their way to the harbour, back towards _The Bastion._ The sun had long been set, enveloping the deserted huts and shacks in darkness, save for the bright white light from the moon. Torches were scattered along the sea front, offering a guiding light to any who walked the path. The cool night air that touched Lena's face was refreshing, a nice change from the stuffiness of the pub. Her nerves had at least cooled off from the alcohol in her system, giving her a slight buzz.

They walked in a comfortable silence, Lena listening to the heavy footfalls of Winston’s bare soles as well as the quiet taps of her own boots against the wooden platform.

As they walked over the ship's threshold, Lena was immediately bowled over and squeezed by a familiar pair of arms. She yelped, almost loosing her footing and grabbing at the slightly taller figure now clinging to her. Her vision completely taken over by a mass of wavy, light blonde hair.

“Leo, where have you been?! We were worried sick!”

She glanced at Winston, noticing the frown on his face at the name she was called. Lena mouthed a quick _‘just play along’_ before turning her attention back to the medic.

She felt Angela checking her all over for any injuries, looking for scrapes or grazes. The doctor held both of her cheeks in each hand as her eyes raked over her face.

This was the norm, Angela checking up on her. Being an engineer had its dangerous moments, especially when working with machinery. Sometimes she would stubbornly try to hide her injuries, much to Angela's dismay. At the end of the day it was a win-win really, Lena got medical attention and Angela- no matter how much she pleaded with her to be more careful -enjoyed the company and practice.

“Angie, I'm fine! Look at me, I'm fine!” Lena gently peeled Angela's hands from her face. The doctor cared a lot about Lena, perhaps _too_ much but it was welcome.

Angela wrinkled her nose, smelling the alcohol on Lena's breath. “ _Mein_ _gott_ , you were missing all day. You had me worrying and all this time, you've been at the _bar?”_

“No I- Ange, please, I can explain!”

The doctor held a hand up, cutting her off from explaining any further. The doctor gave her a stern frown, something Lena often received from her for not being careful.

“It's late. Don't think you are off the hook, I still expect a full explanation tomorrow.”

Lena tilted her head down and nodded. She noticed how tired Angela looked and the guilt she felt immediately took over. She stayed awake just to wait for her to come back it seemed, the doctor's eyes had started to droop heavily.

The doctor must have took pity on her as Lena felt a soft hand ruffle though her hair before a quick kiss landed on her forehead. She looked up to see the frown on Angela's face had softened. The blonde never could stay annoyed with Lena for long.

_Unless she's just knackered…_

Before walking away, Angela sighed. “I'm glad you are safe, _Süßer.”_

She turned and headed towards the far side of the ship. Lena watched the doctor make her way down the stairs towards her own quarters. She smiled, still feeling warm from where Angela kissed her forehead. Tomorrow she'd do everything she could to make it up to the doctor.

Winston cleared his throat behind her, making her jump. She'd forgotten that he was there for a second, Anglea had been solely focused on Lena, not even realising there was a 6 foot gorilla next to her.

_Yep, she was definitely knackered._

He adjusted his glasses and glanced down at her. “So _that_ was Dr. Ziegler? She seems to care a great deal for you, Lena.”

Lena smiled fondly, looking over her shoulder at the door Angela had disappeared through. “She really does.” She gave Winston an apologetic look. “Sorry, love… I'll introduce you tomorrow, yeah?” She felt bad for dragging Winston along with her. It _was_ late though, she supposed.

After saying their goodbyes and a promise to talk more tomorrow, Lena waved to Winston until the darkness of the night engulfed his hulking figure. Lena let out a long sigh of relief, glad that the day was finally over. She stifled a yawn and started making her own way down to the lower decks, deciding it'd be best to follow suit with Angela and get to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, raise your hand if you think Sombra looks gay as hell, and if the scenes with Widowmaker in that new animated short had you swooning. Because /I/ certainly was.
> 
> I've decided to post this newest chapter a bit early, only because it'll be a bit longer until my next chapter. The joys of moving house.

The next morning, Lena found herself sitting on one of two chairs in Angela's medic quarters. It was a lot more spacious than her own room, the doctor also had more windows lining the walls, bathing all her medical equipment in gold light and making them shine brightly. The walls were decorated with posters, showing anatomy, eye test charts and diagrams inside the human body. Angela also had a hobby of collecting various skulls- some intact while others sported cracks or missing teeth -to line her glass cabinet on the wall. Lena wasn't one to question  _ that  _ particular perk of hers, she just supposed Angela was fascinated by them. In the middle of the room was her station, the -thankfully empty- operating table and wheeled, steel side table took up most of the room. At the back behind a draped doorway, a much smaller room would be found which was Angela's own private space. 

The medical supplies Lena had bought for her yesterday lay neatly on top of the side table. She'd used them as a sort of peace offering on her arrival.

“Run it by me again, one more time?”

Lena groaned,  _ Here we go again,  _ she thought.

She'd been through this with Angela about three times already this morning, deciding on telling her the whole truth about where she was the day before. Each time she'd told her the story, Angela's face would become more and more incredulous, enough that she'd started wishing she hadn't got into the story at all.

“Ange, I've told you _three_ times already _._ Is it that good or are you trying to see if I'll slip up?”

The doctor sat opposite her in the other identical spare chair, mulling over Lena's words; same as ever in her white button down shirt and black slacks. A clean white lab coat hung from her slim frame, her hair tied up in its usual style. She looked thoughtful, a small frown line appeared on her forehead.

“I’m trying to process what you told me. It is… unexpected.”

Course it wasn't expected, she'd probably expected Lena to come out and say that she  _ had  _ spent the entire day at the pub. Lena only wished she could've caught Angela's face on a camera, her expression had been absolutely  _ priceless. _

“Did you not listen to what Reinhardt said to us yesterday morning?”

Lena frowned. Did Angela seriously think she'd set out to actually look for a danger? Wasn't her fault if the danger found  _ her.  _ What she saw was a woman who needed help, it just so happened that she was the only one there to provide it.

She wasn't about to let Angela think otherwise.

“Course I did, but I wasn't gonna just stand by and let her get beat up!” Lena leant forward in her chair, leaning her elbows against her knees and linking her fingers together in front of her. “I heard her screaming, Ange… don't tell me you wouldn't have helped. Isn't that what being a doctor is all about? Helping people?”

Angela's features softened slightly, “But a  _ sea witch _ , Leo? You couldn't have picked a less dangerous patient?”

Lena looked at her skeptically. “Ain't all patients a priority?”

Angela frowned. Of course she helped all those who needed it, but to engage a mermaid? She wasn't stupid enough to try.

To this day, there hadn't been any scripts on mermaids. No readings about them, nothing. Zilch. Angela would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little bit curious of the engineer's run in, any new species always fascinated the doctor. There was a reason why there was only a slim amount of information on them however... Any who had tried hadn't lived long enough to share it.

And yet… this young kid in front of her had done it. Unknowingly, the engineer had achieved what was thought to be impossible.

Lena sighed, bringing Angela’s attention back to her. “Look, Angie, I'm not gonna deny it was dangerous alright?” She looked down at her feet, scuffing the boots against each other. “I'm just saying I couldn't live with myself if I'd just left her.”

A small silence followed, and then...

“Do you think she will seek you out?”

Lena opened her mouth to answer, frowned, then shut it soon after. She'd already thought about this the night before, the reason why she had been so knackered that morning. She wondered if the next time -if there  _ was  _ a next time- she crossed paths with the mysterious woman, would it be her death sentence? Judging from their last engagement, she'd already gathered that the mermaid was mistrustful of humans. The woman was suspicious enough about Lena's motives, which now she thought about it, she wasn't so surprised. Lena was probably the first human who had ever helped her.

She knew it wouldn't be enough to convince the mermaid that humans weren't  _ all  _ bad, but it could be a start, right?  

Realising she'd got caught up in her thoughts, Lena quickly shook her head. “Nah, she didn't seem too interested in me t’be honest…”

Which was true, she wasn't. She remembered how the woman had started to walk away from her as soon as she cut herself loose from the fishing net. She hadn't even spared Lena a backwards glance until Lena had sped up to her, thinking her a threat.

That thought made her pause.

The many stories surrounding mermaids were horror filled; always told of them being dangerous, drowning humans that got too close. If that was the case, why hadn’t this one tried to kill her? It didn't make any sense.

Apparently, Angela had the same string of thoughts, regarding Lena with a thoughtful expression. “It's a little odd, isn't it?”

“Depends how you look at it, love.”

Angela quirked an eyebrow, “And how are you looking at it?”

She took a moment to think. Lena was usually the one to think outside the box, never wondering the obvious. Always with her head in the clouds, it kept her busy. It was part of the reason she got along with Winston so well, she'd helped him out a few times with her own tinkering ideas.

“I reckon we've got it all wrong. We don't know anything about them, we might’a misunderstood.”

Angela scoffed softly, obviously not believing what she'd just heard. Lena rolled her eyes.

“Just… hear me out, yeah?”

She slapped her hands on her knees to push herself up from the chair and started pacing around the room, back and forth in front of the doctor, looking around the room but at nothing in particular.

“Right, so she mentioned- or wait, no… She  _ shouted  _ at me more like, that us lot are at fault for a bunch of things,” She continued pacing, coming to a stop directly in front of Angela; her forefinger and thumb resting against her lips. “She didn't go on much, but she went on about how we're the ones killing  _ her  _ species, and polluting the sea by the sound of it.”

Lena frowned to herself, thinking back to the beach. Her brow creased slightly. “She said, and I quote, ‘ _ Your kind that pollute our home. Your kind that hunt ours to extinction _ ’.” Lena did her best at attempting to imitate a French accent. With some amusement,  Angela had to hand it to the boy, his imitation wasn't half bad; most traces of the cockney accent lost under the thick French one.

The engineer grunted. A whirlwind of ideas and theories filtered through her brain.

_ I wonder... _

There was nothing that said a mermaid had snatched any victims that  _ hadn't _ been in connection to fishing companies. Whether it be because they were an easy target or because there was some truth to what the woman had told her, Lena wasn't sure. The blue woman claimed humans polluted the sea, which she wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Oil slicks were a common reoccurrence and rubbish often thrown on the beach would get washed away with the next tide.

_ No wonder they don't trust us... _

Fishermen and their companies seemed to be the big problem for the sea witches, and with good reason, Lena thought. If it were true, these businesses were making life a living hell for the sea life. Fishermen or sailors were their targets, so that would mean-

“Leo?” Angela's snapped her fingers in front of Lena's face, bringing her back to the present.

Lena jerked out of her thoughts, not realising how long she'd left the doctor waiting. “Sorry, love… got lost in thought.” She mumbled quietly, her mind still elsewhere.

“Something enlightening, I hope?”

Lena snorted. “All depends if I'm right,” She took a deep breath before exhaling in a short puff of air. “I've got a theory.”

Angela smiled. “When have you not?”

She rolled her eyes. “Hush, you! For once I'm actually being  _ serious _ . Mark it in your diary ‘cause it ain't happening often.” That made the doctor laugh and in turn, making Lena crack a small smile, despite trying to keep a straight face.

After Angela's laughter had died down, Lena started with her questioning. “I was wondering about the victims of the attacks, I don't remember there being anyone who  _ wasn't  _ somehow linked to a fishing firm.”

Angela thought for a moment before nodding. “You are not wrong, I have tended to several of the luckier victim's wounds myself. It is mostly fishermen that came to me.”

_ Ding ding! We have a winner!  _ Lena thought triumphantly.

“Exactly, which leads me to my theory… What if- and I'm speaking hypothetically of course- the sea dwellers are just protecting themselves?” She gave a small shrug, “Makes sense when you think about it. Sounds like they're pissed off with fishermen and with good reason, the bloody plonkers are ruining the sea with their rubbish.”

Angela was silent as she let that idea sink in.

Could it be possible, what the engineer believed? The doctor's mind raced. If it were true, and these creatures were only protecting themselves, that would mean the stories revolving around them were false, to some extent. Of course that didn't mean they  _ weren't  _ dangerous, however.

Which meant...

Angela's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the boy in front of her. Surely he wasn't thinking...

“Leo, please don't tell me-”

“Come on, doc! Don't you want some better info?” Lena's expression was desperate as well as hopeful as she knelt down next to the sitting doctor, looking up at her. “I'm just as curious as you are!”

Of course Angela wanted more data on mermaids, she was hungry for new knowledge… but putting their ship's engineer in danger was out of the question.

“It's too dangerous! We don't even know-”

Lena rolled her eyes and cut her off. “We don't, but I'm up for finding out!” She felt excited at the prospect of getting to the bottom of this whole affair, something action packed, a little adventure to spice up her day to day life. Not that she didn't enjoy being the ship's engineer, just a bit of change would be welcome. “I reckon I've got a good shot at this, Ange. If I don't, who will?”

True. If Leo didn't take this opportunity, neither of them would get the intel they both desired. Angela's thoughts nagged at her.  _ Is it worth it?  _ She looked down at the engineer in front of her, the poor boy was so  _ young…  _ if anything happened to him, it would be on her head.

Angela's face contorted into a worrying look. “I don't like this…”

“Ange, when have I ever backed down from a challenge?” She gave the doctor what she hoped was her most charming smile. “Plus, I've got my recall if things get ugly.”

True, she'd managed to get out of all kinds of different scrapes, all thanks to the glowing blue device that was built into her chest.

The doctor frowned. “You are willing to put yourself in danger, just on the off chance that you get answers?”

“That, and I'm well up for a bit of adventure!” Lena grinned up at her, eye crinkled at the corners. “She didn't attack me, Ange, I'm pretty confident.”

“How can you be sure she didn't attack because she wasn't strong enough?”

She'd already thought about that, though judging from how the woman had taken a surprisingly quick swipe at her -which she neglected to tell Angela- she was inclined to believe that her weakness was all an act. “Trust me, she was fine. Mermaids are tough creatures, reckon it'd take a bit more than some goons to combat her strength.”

Angela looked at her skeptically. “Let's say you succeed… then what are you planning to do? Win her over with your…  _ charming  _ personality?”

Lena pouted at the doctor's quip, rising from her kneeling position and crossing her arms. “I'll have you know I'm as charming as ever, she won't know what hit her!”

“You'll want to hope she doesn't hit  _ you,  _ Leo.”

Lena's determination didn't waver as she raised both hands up to jerk her thumbs towards her own face. “Who would hit  _ this _ face?” a playful grin lit up her features. “Before you say anything, that was a rhetorical question. Don't even think about it, doc.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait with this chapter, moving house was a pain in the arse. I had to cut this chapter down because it'd be too long with what I originally planned for it, but I am writing the next chapter already so hopefully you guys won't have to wait so long this time. Hope you enjoy!

Over the next few days, Lena could just _feel_ the eyes of the whole crew following her every move. Of course the word had somehow got out that she'd talked to a mermaid, whether she'd been seen or one of the sailors had overheard her conversation with Angela, she wasn't sure. She did trust that Angela wouldn't have let slip, however, without needing to ask the doctor.

At first it made her feel uncomfortable; the constant gawking and hushed whispers as she passed by on the top deck, as if they thought she couldn't hear it. Lena prided herself on being pretty confident, but knowing that her every move was constantly being scrutinised made her doubt. She'd further tightened her binding wrap since the gossip leak, hoping that it hid her well enough.

As she'd guessed, Reinhardt had been ecstatic. He'd clapped her on the back proudly and offered to give her more fighting lessons, just in case the sea witch came back for him. A small smile touched her lips as she thought back to their short conversation the day before…

_She felt a large, bear-like hand almost shove her forwards as a deep, booming laugh filled the quarters._ “ _That's my boy, Leo! Did you give her the old ‘one-two’?”_

_“Actually-”_

_“HARHAR, of course you did!”_

He'd pressed her for more on her tale, wanting to know the details on how she'd ‘escaped' the mermaid's clutches. Lena had to snort at that. It seemed the story had expanded into a load of gobshite, now bordering on farfetched and exaggerated. Even after telling Reinhardt how it had actually played out- without including the little chat she'd had- the captain still insisted that she was being modest.

Both she and Angela had decided against telling Reinhardt about Lena's theory, at least until she had herself some hard proof to prove her claim. She didn't like holding secrets, but Lena could think of nothing worse that confiding in him, only to be proven wrong. Angela on the other hand had somewhat believed her to some extent, or at least she _wanted_ to believe. She knew the doctor trusted her enough not to take advantage of that.

Lena felt her shoulders sag in shame at the thought of Angela's trust, the guilt weighing down on her like a sack of bricks. Least of all Lena wanted to do was to disappoint her. She hoped it'd stay that way _after_ she revealed herself.

She recalled what Winston had said a few nights ago at the pub, and he was right. The longer she left it, the harder it would be. She sighed, thunking her head back against the mast.

The whispering had died down a touch, bringing her out of her cabin- or _cave_ as she preferred to call it. She found herself sitting on the top deck, watching the crew bustle about with their chores as she sat elevated on a heavy crate; her legs swinging back and forth and her fingers tapping impatiently against the wooden box to a silent beat.

She waited for Angela to join her for the next trip into town. Since Lena had neglected her previous list of items to trade for, Angela was being sent to keep an eye on her as well as help. Though whatever the doctor was doing, she was taking her sweet time.

Lena looked around, taking in her surroundings. Despite the usual sunny weather in Ilios, it was a pretty overcast day. The sort of weather which would appear normal back at London. The sky was dotted with smoky grey clouds and the wind howled against the rocking ship; the sea roiling roughly against sides and the mast behind her creaked and shuddered. Only thing missing would be the rain, Lena mused.

_Finally,_ Angela appeared through the double doors of the captain's quarters. Lena took in the other woman's appearance. The doctor's usual white lab coat was gone, revealing a smartly ironed, ruffled white blouse and a navy buttoned up waistcoat in its place. Even her black boots were shinier. Her hair also looked tidier, not a misplaced strand to be found. Her eyes appeared less tired, instead, her face was almost _glowing_ ; the black bags underneath her eyes a few nights ago had completely disappeared, taken up by a bright eyed gaze and a light smile.

Lena gawked at her in awe. Funny how the doctor could go from looking like a zombie without caffeine, to looking like a bloody serene angel. Give her a halo and she'd look exactly that.

_How the hell does she manage that…?_

Angela made her way over with a small wave, her boots tread lightly over the smooth wooden deck. “Ready to go, Leo?”

“Took you long enough!” Lena planted both hands on the crate, using her upper body strength to push her weight and leap from the crate she sat on, promptly landing in front of the blonde doctor without even a wobble. “You scrub up pretty well mind, trying to impress someone?”

Angela snorted softly. “Hardly. My work is my only focus, you know that.”

“Oh, Angie… we need to get you out more.”

Angela's eyes rolled as she stepped off the ship, beckoning Lena to follow her. “Come on, before the Amari’s close for the day.”

Lena hurried forward, falling into step alongside the other woman as they crossed the wooden planks of the platform, which the ship was docked next to.

Today, Reinhardt had given them the address of the local smithy, hopeful that with Angela joining Lena on her daily job, they'd actually manage to get what he'd asked for. He was far from annoyed at Lena, however the crew desperately needed the shipment of weapons they had ordered since arriving at Ilios.

They didn't talk much, save for some idle chit chat. Both women walked in a comfortable silence as they made their way through the quaint little town, strolling through the food stalls- with Angela having to literally _drag_ Lena away from- until they found a building up ahead with a small, hanging white sign in the shape of a shield, featuring a painted black anvil with a hammer. The words ‘Amari’s Blacksmith’ were written below it in black writing.

Lena looked down at the yellow slip of parchment she held, holding the address to their destination, then back up at the sign. She glanced at Angela. “Looks like the right place, eh?”

The doctor nodded, reaching a hand past Lena to wrap her slender fingers around the brass hoop, lifting the knocker before pushing it back down. She knocked three times, each one a hollow echo as the knocker slammed against its screwed down plate.

A few metallic clangs and a muffled curse could be heard through the wooden door, which suddenly swung open to reveal a tall, dark skinned woman.

She looked to be in her 30’s; dark, piercing brown eyes swept over the both of them and full lips slid into a frown. Her dark shoulder length hair that framed her pretty face was adorned with braids, held together by several golden beads. Her attire consisted of a dark grey vest which clung to her muscled shoulders and front, black capri pants hugged her hips and black buckled shoes covered her feet. She appeared to be nursing her hand, the fingers now turning an angry shade of red. Something which Angela took quick notice of, her eyes narrowed.

The woman in the doorway cleared her throat, hiding her injured hand behind her back once she saw Angela frowning at it. “Can I help you?” a pleasingly smooth Arabian accent greeted both their ears.

“G’morning, love! Got a order for a Mr. Wilhelm?”

Reaching into her jacket pocket, Lena fished around for the order receipt before handing it over to the Egyptian woman. She looked over it, checking the name and order content.

The young Amari nodded once, remembering last week's order before addressing Lena. “Ah, Reinhardt?”

“That's the one!”

The woman smiled, making her seem a lot less intimidating. She held the door open for the two to join her over the threshold. “Come, my mother is just finishing his request.”

The smithy was quite dark, save for a few candle brackets which decorated each wall, giving off a cosy glow. It was swelteringly hot inside, the steam rose from the hot coals which resided inside the large furnace pit covering the middle of the room. Weapons and tools hung from the walls and lay across most surfaces, giving off an overall messy look. Behind the counter sat a bookcase with a small collection of books, including a few mechanic favourites that Lena knew the names of. Plans and orders littered the workbench next to them.

Angela sidled up to the taller woman, while Lena stepped up to the bookcase, thumbing through the books on the shelves. “Ana is your mother?” Angela asked, earning a nod from the blacksmith. “You must be Fareeha, yes?”

“And _you_ must be Dr. Ziegler, am I correct?” at Angela's questioning look, she added quickly, “My mother spoke of you.”

“Reinhardt spoke of _you_. Seems to think of you as a master craftswoman.” Angela smiled at the slight awkward look on Fareeha’s face she got in return, as well as a mumbled “Old man exaggerates…” under the woman's breath.

The doctor huffed out a short laugh. “He trusts no-one else to craft his weapon orders, you _must_ be rather good at what you do.” And at that, the tanned woman smiled.

Angela's eyes scanned over the messy work surface and anvil to her left, the woman's latest project catching her eye; an impressively balanced steel sword with encrusted gold filigree swirls laid into the handle. A small iron hammer lay next to it. The doctor frowned, suddenly remembering the yelp from behind the door earlier. She looked down again at the young Amari’s hand- which she continued to try and hide behind her back. Before Angela could say anything, the woman shrugged it off. “It's just a scratch.”

Angela eyes narrowed as she grabbed the woman's arm, taking her hand in her own to bring it closer to inspect. She took in the state of the blacksmith's injured hand; the flesh looked battered and bruised, purple-black blotches marred the surface. “A _scratch._ Your hand is turning purple, Fareeha.”

“It's _fine.”_

“I'm patching you up.”

Fareeha winced as she tried to pull her hand out of Angela’s grasp. “No, I-”

_This woman is so stubborn!_ Angela only gripped her wrist harder, but not enough to further injure Fareeha’s hand as she dragged the woman over to the bench beside the desk, pulling out a small medipack she usually kept in her satchel. “Doctor's orders! I _insist.”_

All the while, Lena just watched from behind, amused as the blacksmith sat down grumpily with a small scowl. She knew there was no point in resisting Angela, she'd already been down that route with her own injuries. Trying to hide them never got past the doctor, Lena found that out long ago. Smiling to herself, she focused her attention back to the bookcase, just in time as a familiar blue blur dashed passed the window beside it. Her eyes widened.

She jumped to the window, both hands and nose pressed firmly up against the gritty surface. Her breath clouded the glass pain as she craned her neck each way to see either side of the alleyway.

_Surely it couldn't be…?_

Lena glanced back over at the other two. Now the blacksmith was pointedly staring at the opposite wall, too embarrassed to look at Angela or what she was doing. The doctor had taken her hand and started kneading and prodding the palm and knuckles, trying to gauge a reaction from the other woman, but to no avail. Fareeha was determined to keep a straight face by the looks of it. Even though Lena couldn't see the woman's face, Angela’s expression was clearly irritated at the lack of reactions.

Slowly and as quietly as she could manage, Lena skirted the wall; keeping her eye on the two woman in front of her as she scooted her way closer to the door with her back flush against the wall, hoping not to step on any creaky floorboards as she did so. Her heart hammered, beating loudly against her chest; so much so that she worried it would be heard from across the room. To her relief, neither woman paid any attention to the suspicious looking engineer trying to be stealthy as she reached the door. Still with her eyes on the women in front of her, she blindly reached around behind her for the door handle.

“You have my thanks, Dr. Ziegler…”

“Please, call me Angela.”

Panic filled Lena like air in a balloon. Angela would almost be done and she'd never let Lena go out by herself after last time. This was her only chance. She took a quick frantic look behind her to find the iron doorknob, reaching for it to yank open the door quickly and quietly before slipping through the crack, promptly pushing and clicking it shut behind her.

Cold air blew across her red flushed cheeks as she stepped outside, leaning against the door behind her as she let out a relieved sigh. Lena hadn't realised how hot the smithy had been, the fresh air being a welcome change.

She looked around, looking for any sign of a familiar blue skinned figure through the busy crowds at the food stalls. She frowned, her eyes scanning the street around her. Would the woman be foolish enough to try and blend with that crowd? Probably not. It was more likely that she would keep to the shadows, on the very edges of town, in alleyways maybe? Lena hoped she was right as she pushed herself off the door, making her way down the closest one to the left of the smithy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! I won't lie, had a bit of writer's block, plus the Overwatch update was distracting as hell. Plus the new comic that was released because I almost died from happiness over Tracer being gay. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Lena crouched low, letting her hands graze against the solid brick wall that she skirted as she made her way down the side alley. She manoeuvred her way in between the soggy cardboard boxes and old tin dustbins that decorated the dodgy looking lane, her boots crunching over broken glass and rustling against dirty old papers that littered the floor.

It was quiet, apart from the broken shards of glass that her boots scraped across. _Too_ _quiet_. Her senses heightened and her heart hammered in her chest, like a hummingbird that itched to get out of it's cage. Every little noise that disrupted the silence had her on edge, even the scampering of vermin behind the bins.

In the past five minutes, Lena had gone over how much of a bad idea this was at least a hundred times already. Seeking out a mermaid, really? Only fools and poachers would do that, and half the time it wasn't a success.

The things she would do for Angela and her _science_.

_And my own curiosity._

The engineer sighed to herself, shaking that thought away before pushing on. She became disappointed as she reached the end of the grubby alley, not finding even a tiny trace of the blue blur she saw in the window before. She slumped against the wall, already making the decision to turn back the way she came. Maybe Angela hadn't noticed her disappearance yet, too taken by the young blacksmith to realise.

That's when she heard it.

Lena came to a halt mid step, freezing in her tracks. She heard a eerie, but oddly calming sort of noise; like softly chiming bells and mellow violin tones.

Is that... _singing?_

It was faint but not too far away, and definitely not _human_ singing. Lena grinned, following the sound back through the narrow lane. Maybe this wasn't such a lost cause after all?

After reaching the end, Lena came up behind a large factory firm that she recognised. The rusted walls had seen better days and the paint job could use some work but despite that, the fishing company was one of the more popular ones. She carefully peeked around the corner of the right side of the tall building, finding immediately where the sweet dulcet tones were coming from.

There she was, crouched behind a stack of barrels was the mermaid that she'd met not a few days ago; looking the same as she had before, albeit less bloody and bruised. Lena watched as the other woman sang, finding it to be quite enthralling. That was, until she saw what the singing was _doing._

She looked past the mermaid and over the piles of shipment boxes to see a few of the workers slumping to the ground, crumpling into unconscious heaps as they listened to the eerie music. A small gasp left her parted lips before she could stop herself.

The singing stopped abruptly, the mermaid's head whipping around at the sound of Lena’s short gasp, her ears sensitive to every little noise as her narrowed eyes scanned the area. Lena slapped a hand over her own mouth; quickly retreating back around the corner, sticking her back firmly against the wall.

_Bollocks!_

Lena waited with bated breath as she heard slow, quiet footsteps approaching her hiding place. Fear prickled at the back of her neck. Now she'd done it, now she was done for-

Before she could worry any more about the situation, sharp fingers curled around her collar, yanking her forward and around the corner before slamming her back hard up against the wall. She tried to yelp, quickly finding another hand firmly pressed against her mouth, effectively cutting her off and muffling any noises. Her own fingers wrapped around cool, slender blue wrists. She looked up to find a pair of golden, catlike eyes boring into her own as the taller figure loomed over her.

The sudden look of recognition passed over the taller woman's face as her eyes flicked over the face of her captive. Her eyes narrowed further, grip tightening around the jacket collar. She lifted the shorter woman a few inches off the ground. “ _You.”_

Lena flinched, trying her best to resist the urge to recall out of the woman's hold. The woman had seen her recall back on the beach but that didn't mean she knew any more about it. No, Lena needed the mermaid to _trust_ her, and recalling would ruin that chance. Let her think _she_ has the upper hand. It was quite ballsy, not to mention daring, but Lena had always loved a bit of danger with her adventures; like a spice added to a bland meal.

She couldn't answer with the hand still covering her lips, so she mumbled out a muffled “mhm” behind the woman's blue palm. She looked up at the taller figure; her wounds had all healed, save for a little red gash on her lower lip. Now Lena could see her more clearly- not that she had a choice with the woman right up in her face- she could see why people would find a mermaid captivating.

“You should think twice before following me. _”_ Golden eyes swept over light brown ones. “If you scream, I won't hesitate in killing you.”

The hand slowly lifted from over her lips. Instead, it reached for the pouch at her hip. Lena balked at the movement; she knew her knife was in that bag. The taller woman pulling it out confirmed that. Her own knife used against her, how fitting. The mermaid noticed where her eyes had wandered to, a smirk tugged at her lips as she flicked the blade open and rested the sharp tip against Lena’s jugular.

“So, tell me… what did you hope to achieve by following me?”

Lena pondered on what to say, knowing she couldn't outright say that it was for science. She needed to tread carefully, or risk having a knife plunged into her throat. “If I said I was curious, would you believe it?”

The mermaid huffed out a short, humourless laugh. “Careful.What is the phrase you humans say… Curiosity killed the cat?”

“I-”

She roughly shook Lena by the front of her jacket, cutting her off and levelling her with a glare. “Leave me _alone_. I will not repeat myself.” She shoved Lena back into the wall, releasing her collar and walking back through the boxes and towards the warehouse.

Before Lena could so much as take a small step in her direction, the woman whirled around to face her once more, her hair followed like a cracking whip. “Don't even _think_ of following me. Next time, I may not be so lenient.”

After she turned and left, Lena waited a few more minutes before curiosity got the better of her, pushing off the wall and quietly following. Stupid idea, but Lena paid no mind to her more reasonable side, brushing off the quiet nagging at the back of her head. What's the worst that could happen, right?

_Right?_

Finding her way inside the building was easy. Finding the mermaid? Apparently, that was also pretty easy. All she had to do was look around and follow the path of unconscious bodies laying around. At least _that_ particular detail made Lena feel like she was on the right track.

She held her breath as she came close to one of the security guards slumped up against one of the shelving units. Lena was in no way qualified in first aid of any kind, any that she _had_ learned was a quick few lessons from Angela. Even then, she hadn't paid much attention to what the doctor had been saying in those lessons.

Kneeling down, Lena checked the man's neck, taking off a glove and pressing two fingers against the side to check for a pulse. Relief washed over her as she found the slow, steady beat against her fingertips. Lena pulled back an eyelid, not quite sure what she was looking for but vaguely remembering that part in a lesson. At least what she was seeing looking normal. She pulled away, letting the man's eyelid flap shut before pulling her glove back on and jumping up. Lena looked around, seeing more guards and workers alike around each corner, all in the same state of unconsciousness. If she hadn't checked the guard behind her, she would have assumed they were dead.

So the mermaid hadn't harmed them in any way, or at least she hoped. She was sure that this deep sleep was only temporary. From what she saw earlier, her singing voice was able to lull and knockout a person almost instantly. Which made her wonder why hadn't it worked on herself. She'd been listening to the song for a good while before the woman stopped after hearing her, why hadn't _she_ collapsed from the music?

And the woman was reckless, leaving a body trail in her wake, making her easy to follow. Part of Lena wondered if the mermaid was leaving the unconscious lumps behind because she _wanted_ to be found.

The cogs in Lena’s head ground to a halt, her footsteps also faltered slightly as she mulled over that thought. She could be walking into a trap, an obvious one but a trap nonetheless. It felt like a test, one that Lena was sure the mermaid knew she would fail.

But did Lena care? _Nope._

Was she still going to follow through with hers and Angela’s plan? _Yep._

Without even realising, the amount of bodies that littered the floor had decreased to the odd one or two as she moved further into the storehouse. The smell of rotting fish quickly filled her nostrils, causing her to retch at the repulsive stench as she covered her nose; her eyes watering as she tried to compose herself. Reaching for her orange goggles which were pushing her hair up, she pulled them down to cover her stinging eyes. The gloomy room around her now tinted with bright orange.

Her feet tapped lightly against the cold, metallic floor, creating echoes throughout the large warehouse. The smell of fish grew stronger as she rounded each corner, different scents wafted towards her nose as she passed the hundreds of storage crates on each passing shelf. She passed the still running conveyor belt, covered in different kinds of fish and chunks of crushed ice. Lena wondered if she should turn it off without anyone to man it but quickly decided against it, the less she had to do with this situation, the better.

Lena came to a halt outside of a room with a silver plaque which read “Security” in bold letters on its ajar door. She took a peek inside, eyes widening at what she saw. The whole room was a mess, as if a large bomb had been detonated inside it; papers were torn and strewn everywhere, files were ripped and tossed carelessly on the floor, the mini security monitors were smashed to pieces and hanging from slashed wires, the glass of the black screens littered the floor, wooden desks and chairs were overturned and left on their sides. It looked like a certain _someone_ had been looking for something, rather carelessly too.

Other rooms and offices that Lena passed all seemed to be in the same state of mess, each with their own contents turned upside-down. It wasn't until she came to the last few rooms that Lena heard shuffling and muffled noises behind a closed door, a pair of shadows appeared under the crack as the figure's legs moved about the room. Could it be a worker? Or the mermaid? Lena wasn't sure whether to call out to ask.

She settled on knocking the door, raising a hand and rapping her knuckles against the hard wooden surface. The shuffling immediately stopped, everything going quiet in an instant, the shadows under the door swiftly darted to the side and disappeared, making Lena feel a bit nervous. She braced herself, placing her hand around the steel door handle, pulling it down and slowly pushing the door open before stepping inside.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I'm sorry for taking so long with updating, between work and being distracted by Overwatch/a queer discord group, it's hard finding the time to sit down and get some writing done. Plus I'm slowly working on a few Widowtracer one-shots as well, and more ideas are turning up uninvited. Help me. 
> 
> I have no idea if anyone reads these notes but I wanted to say thank you to my best friend Kris for beta reading my trash, also Ran for helping read over and her suggestions. ALSO if any of you guys like Mchanzo, check out Saltsoldier and their Body In Electric Blue story. Their body swap fic is fantastic. I'm gonna get shit from them for this but I live on the edge.
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/7576969/chapters/21495110

As she stepped over the threshold, Lena barely had time to take in the mess of the office before she was quickly pulled in by the scruff and roughly shoved up against the door, the back of her head creating a loud bang as it made contact with the wooden pane. She let out a surprised yelp, trying to shove the attacker away but to no avail, the grip on her collar was too strong.

She looked down through her tinted goggles, from the hand clutching her jacket, traveling up the toned arm and over the muscular shoulder until she reached their face, unsurprised to find a pair of narrowed, piercing yellow eyes watching her like a hawk.

Being shoved up against things by the other woman was quickly becoming a habit apparently.

The woman snarled, pulling Lena forward once more and shoving her back into the door again. “What part of ‘don't follow me’ did you not understand, _human?”_ Her eyes regarded Lena, swiping across her freckled face swiftly. “Do you think it _funny,_ hm? Do I have to spell it out for you?”

“N-no I-”

“Spit it out!” The woman growled in her face, her hand moved towards Lena’s collarbone, her slender fingers wrapping effortlessly around the engineer's neck. “Who sent you? Are you here to stop me?” She squeezed the pale flesh harshly, pushing against it enough for Lena to gasp as she grabbed at the blue fingers squeezing her neck. “Or spy on me?” The mermaid squeezed harder, roughly shoving Lena against the wall.

“I'm not,-” she coughed in between words, already feeling the bruises forming under her skin. Her vision started to darken, white spots dotted here and there. The taller of the two released her tight grip against Lena’s neck, enough for her to be able to speak but not enough for her to make an escape. “here to stop you.” Lena managed to gasp out.

That made the woman pause. She searched Lena’s face for any hints of a lie, her face contorted into confusion when she found none. “You expect me to believe this? What _other_ reason _-”_

Lena struggled to form words as the hand around her neck squeezed her airways even tighter, her sharp nails digging into her throat. “Told... you, I'm-” another cough “curious.”

The mermaid barked out a harsh laugh, clearly not convinced by Lena’s words. “And _why_ should I believe any of this? You are a _human,_ humans hate my kind and everything we stand for!” she seethed. She was reluctant to believe that this particular human was any different.

“Please…” Lena’s face flushed a deep red from the struggle, her grip becoming weak against the hold of the periwinkle blue hand around her throat. The same hand closing her airways and making it harder for her to form words slackened its hold slightly, just enough for Lena to answer which the engineer took gladly.

Gasping for air, she gulped as oxygen flooded her lungs, causing her to feel a tad lightheaded and her throat sore as she searched for the words to express her truthfulness. “If I- wanted you dead, I'd have left you... on that beach.” Speaking with her throat in bits was a difficult task, but Lena was determined to make her point.

 _True_ , the mermaid thought. She could have just been left to die or finished off on that beach, and yet here she was, with her fingers wrapped around her saviour's dainty little neck. It felt somewhat… wrong to kill this one. As foolish as this human was, the engineer _did_ ensure she lived after that brutal attack.

The look on the taller woman's face would have made Lena laugh if she hadn't just been half strangled. Confusion marred the woman's features. Slowly, she uncurled her fingers from around the engineer's neck, frowning at at her. Lena clutched at her neck, shrinking against the wall as the taller figure still loomed over her. Lena lightly massaged her neck, wincing at the pain it brought her. She'd feel that in the morning- if she made it that far.

The silence stretched, and then…

“... You are an _odd_ human,” the mermaid looked at her curiously, squinting at her as if trying to figure out Lena’s motives. “Most humans avoid our kind and yet _you_ willingly follow.”

“Guess I'm not most humans.” Lena’s voice rasped out. The mermaid's eyes narrowed.

“So you say.”

Lena cleared her throat, heaving up coughs and spluttering. Apparently, strangulation made it hard to breath and talk, who'd have thought.

“Not gonna kill me...?”

The woman glowered at her dangerously, somehow still looking rather pretty even though she could probably kill Lena in a few seconds, she'd bet. She was beginning to wish she hadn't piped up before the taller woman spoke.

“What use are you to me, if dead? No, you're coming with me.”

It was Lena’s turn to look at the other woman incredulously. Had she heard her right? Were her ears bashed in at the same time she was strangled as well? “Begging your pardon?”

“You heard me. I need to keep an eye on you,” She grabbed Lena by the front, pulling her closer before shoving her in front of herself and through the now open door. “So, _move_.”

“But-”

“Ah ah ah,” She gave another Lena another quick shove forward as she stepped through the door herself. “keep moving.”

She tripped over her own feet as she was pushed out of the door. “You gonna let on any details ab-”

“ _Non_.”

The hand between her shoulder blades caused Lena to stumble from another push as she let out an indignant huff under her breath, turning around to slap at the blue hand. If this woman expected her to go along without knowing any details, she had another bloody thing coming.

“You expect me to blindly follow? Give me something to work with at least!”

The taller woman paused in her pushing, looking down her nose at Lena, though without her usual disgust when looking at a human. Not to say she trusted the _annoyance,_ very far from it in fact. No, she was curious about the ship engineer. Never before had she been sought out and not attacked, like the many sailors she'd encountered. Most of them idiotic fools, thinking themselves capable of taking on one of her kind.

Lena was starting to become a bit flustered and uneasy under the mermaid's empty stare, but remained determined to hold her gaze as she stood her ground. The taller of the two seemed to contemplate something before nodding to herself.

“Something has been… stolen from us,” Her nose wrinkled, as if admitting it left a bitter taste in her mouth. “I am retrieving it.” she added simply.

“So… what is _it?_ ” Lena prompted.

Narrowed eyes stared her down, almost making Lena regret asking. _Almost._ She couldn't deny she was curious about what this mermaid was trashing the place looking for. Whatever it was, it must be valuable.

“That isn't your business to know.”

Lena’s lips twisted into a grimace. Really, the nerve of this woman! “Well then, you can kiss my help goodb-”

“Your _help_?”

The engineer looked up at the mermaid's face, surprised to find an expression that matched her own. Clearly the woman hasn't expected Lena to actually _help_ her find whatever she had been searching for. Lena kept quiet, nodding once and waiting for the other to speak. She frowned down at Lena, a disgusted expression twisting her features as she uttered a quiet disgruntled sound.

“And I suppose you'll want some sort of _reward?_ Compensation for your efforts?” the woman quipped, giving Lena a haughty look. She crossed her arms over her chest, leveling the engineer with a glare.

Lena blinked in confusion, slightly taken aback at the accusation. “Eh? Why would I want a reward?”

The mermaid laughed humourlessly, the echo bounced throughout the large warehouse area. “Simply because humans are _selfish_. I have studied your kind, and have never come across a human willing to help out of _charity.”_ She spat the last word as if it was an insult to Lena.

Lena scoffed at the petty comment. “Like I said, I ain't _most_ humans. Remember that, yeah?”

The other woman clicked her tongue. “We shall see.”

……..

 

They walked together in an uncomfortable silence, or rather, Lena walked in front of the other; constantly aware of the pair of yellow eyes watching her every move. The tension between them could probably be cut with that pen knife in the woman's pouch, something that Lena felt sure the mermaid preferred as she thought back to their last confrontation on the beach, remembering how she preferred Lena silent.

That however, hardly stopped Lena from bombarding the blue woman with questions.

“So how'd you have legs anyway? Is it some kind of spell?” She glanced over her shoulder at the taller woman, instantly noticing her grimace at all the questions Lena threw her way. “Are you always blue? What’d you look like underwater? How’d you-”

_“Assez!”_

Lena jumped, whirling around just in time to see the mermaid take a swipe at her which she promptly dodged, blinking backwards; arms outstretched and crouching in a defensive stance, facing the taller woman who was glaring across the room at her, yellow eyes darting between Lena’s face and the now illuminated circular pad on her chest. She winced, _maybe_ she'd asked a few too many questions.

The scowl thrown her way was some good evidence of that. “ _Mon dieu,_ how long must you _pester_ me with questions before taking the hint? We are _not_ friends, neither will we be.”

As much as she disliked having the human around, she hoped it would play to other advantages, having a look out while she searched could prove useful, not to mention if she needed a quick escape, the young human could take the full blame for her actions. Sadly this meant letting said human tag along, having her put up with the obnoxious pest.

Lena huffed, straightening up from her low crouch. “How can you stand being so bloody quiet? It's drivin’ me up the wall!”

“Some of us _prefer_ the quiet.”

She scoffed. “Yeah? Well not me.”

She mermaid raised an eyebrow. If she hadn't been watching for it, Lena might have missed the way those yellow eyes flicked down towards her accelerator and back to her face. She followed the woman’s gaze, finding the blue light in her chest still pulsating just over the low collar of her orange t-shirt. An idea instantly struck her.

Keeping her eyes on the woman, she proposed her idea. “How ‘bout I tell you about this,” Lena jerked a thumb towards her glowing chest, “and you answer only _one_ of my questions. Sound fair?”

She watched as the mermaid's eyes scrutinised her as she straightened up herself. Lena could tell she was curious about her accelerator, especially after seeing what it could do. Maybe not enough to _willingly_ answer her question but perhaps begrudgingly. The woman seemed to hesitate a small fraction, and Lena wondered what she could be thinking right this second.

“You first.”

Lena’s eyes lit up in slight surprise as she resisted the urge to smirk. That was a fast agreement, faster than she expected anyway. _Hook, line, and sinker._ She winced internally. Probably not the best choice of wording. “How can I trust you'll keep your word?”

“Unlike humans, I have _honour.”_

She walked right into that one. “I've got _plenty_ of honour, ta!” she huffed, crossing her arms over her anchor.

The mermaid hummed to herself. “ _Alors montrez-moi_.” at Lena’s confused expression she repeated in English, “show me.”

Lena cocked her head to the side, assessing the situation as she searched the taller woman's face. If she wanted the mermaid to trust her, she really needed to be open up and be trusting herself. Deciding to take the chance, she slowly began to cautiously walk her way back over to the woman, careful not to make any sudden moves as she kept her eyes trained on the other's face. “Alright, but you keep those claws to yourself, y’hear me?”

The woman's face became unreadable as she looked Lena up and down, her nose wrinkling as she did so. “I make no such promises. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liiiiiiiiive. Thanks to all the readers who made it this far in the story, I honestly didn't expect this story to get much when I first posted it. Also, with it being the second story I've ever written, I guess I was sceptical.
> 
> I have a few more thank yous; mostly for my queer discord group chat, those girls who read my chapters and encourage me to keep writing. You guys have no idea how much it helps! 
> 
> And again, check out Saltsolider's Mchanzo fic, if you haven't already!  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/7576969/chapters/21495110
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy chapter 8!

If someone had told Lena that she'd be attempting to have a civil conversation with a mermaid a few weeks ago, she'd have called them downright barmy and inquired about their mental health. Now, on the other hand…

Keeping her eyes trained on the taller woman, she took the nearest flipped over chair, dragging it upwards and setting it back on its four wooden legs before gingerly sitting down and facing the mermaid in front of her. Without a surface to lean on, Lena rest her slightly sweaty palms in her lap, twisting her gloved fingers together as she thought of what to say. The last person she'd told about her… addition, was Angela, and that was bad enough with the curious doctor constantly asking questions about her past, especially as the ship's medic had been pulling at Lena’s collar to take a peak of the blue light, that part was particularly awkward while she was trying to conceal her gender.

 

_ Flash back sequence _

 

_ “Christ, Ange!” _

_ For the fourth time that evening, Lena had to slap away at Angela’s hand; the hand in question which had been trying to pull her collar to the side, withdrew itself quickly. _

_ “I'm sorry!” _

_ They both sat in the ship's medbay, at Angela's request; exactly a week after she'd signed up to sail under The Bastion, and although she had found herself somewhat comfortable around the young doctor already, she didn't feel the desire to show the woman her accelerator, or her binding wraps for that matter. Lena wrapped her hands around her upper arms, shielding her chest away from the doctor's prying eyes and curious fingers. _

_ Angela had tried her best to not look so disappointed, she really had. “I don't understand why you refuse to show me, Leo. You are a survivor, are you not?” _

_ Lena's fingers curled against the cotton of her t-shirt sleeves; blunt fingernails dug into the orange fabric as she clenched her fists, hugging herself. Really, at this point she could have told Angela about her gender, confessed to her that it was all a lie. The opportune moment she'd been waiting for- _

_ “I'm scared, Ange, scared I'll be seen differently.” _

_ Coward. _

 

_ End of flash back _

 

What she said that day was only half true. Most of the time, Lena couldn't give a toss about how differently people would see her with the chest piece; already used to being called all sorts, but she needed another excuse as to why she wouldn't show the glowing device on her chest. At least there was  _ some _ truth to her words, especially regarding her new crew mates if they found out that she was a woman. 

She looked over at the tall figure, noticing how she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she stood; restless, arms crossed with her fingers tapping against them.

“You  _ can _ sit down y’know. I don't bite, unless asked.” Lena smiled at her own joke, even more so at the other woman, who glared in her direction. Lena reckoned it’d be fun bugging this one.

“I would prefer to stand.”

The engineer shrugged, “Suit yourself!” the taller woman said nothing in response, patiently waiting for the human to begin.

Lena lowered her gaze down to her hands; sitting in her lap, picking at the stitching on her glove. She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to start. 

“Alrighty… guess I'll start from the beginning then.” Lifting a hand to pull at her goggles, she peeled them off her face for them to hang around her neck, resting against her chest. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to normal lighting without the orange tint of her goggles. “Few years ago, I joined the RAF. Top of my division I was! Got called a young prodigy at nineteen.” she said with a small chuckle, ruffling her hair between her fingers as she peered up at the taller woman, whose attention was on her, completely undivided.

Lena smiled as she carried on. “It was quick work for me, getting through the exams and protocols for flight school. Passed all my tests with flighin’ colours. I was a pilot, see?” She swivelled both ways in her seat to show the mermaid the embroidered badges on her jacket sleeves; one with the union jack and on the other, her flight level and call sign. “They gave me the call sign “Tracer” because of how fast I made my way up the ranks, haven't been called that in years, mind.”

The mermaid’s eyes studied her patches, taking in all the little details she was told. As impatient as she was for the human to get on with it for them to carry on with her search, she couldn't deny that she was curious to hear more.

“I was running recon down in Dorado with a few other lads, had to scope out and see what the enemy were up to. Getting into their base was a bit too easy, didn't feel quite right, y'know?” Her smile began to fade as Lena recalled how she, along with her group, snuck through empty hallways and unlocked doors, that was before the gunshots started whizzing about. Even now, Lena could hear them ringing in her ears. “Turns out the ruddy bastards were expecting us, gave us a nasty surprise that did,”

Lena fidgeted, twisting her fingers together; a nervous habit she'd picked up. “I… we, lost a lot of good men that day, some with families, others were married and such.” She remembered going to each funeral. Meeting the families of the dead was unpleasant, especially being a survivor. Many of them questioned why  _ she  _ lived and they  _ didn't. _

Her shoulders sagged. “I blamed myself for that, should've known it was a trap but I went ahead anyway…” she looked up to face the mermaid; still hard to read, her face void of emotion. Lena gave a sigh and continued. “We got caught, I was one of the luckier ones; managed to get rescued after about a week or two? Can't really remember and I try not to. Ain't no good dwellin’ on the past, I learnt  _ that _ the hard way.”

She leant forward in her chair, crossing her arms over each other and resting them across her knees as she looked down; tapping her fingers against her elbows. Opening up to this woman was proving to be easy so far. Lena was sure it was to do with the lack of response she was receiving. Having someone just  _ listen  _ without speaking was comforting. “I'm telling you this because it's  _ part _ of the reason I have this hunk of metal on my chest.”

Unconsciously, she lifted her hand to rub the place her accelerator sat innocently under the wrap she wore, wincing as her fingers swept over the scars she knew were there. “They conducted experiments on us, I was one of the few jammy sods who survived. I was close to dying when I was rescued, mind you, that's how I met Winston.”

A small smile returned to light up her features at the thought of her scientist friend. “He looked after me, got me back on my feet. He even helped me tweak this thing a bunch.” Lena added, gesturing towards her chest. The mermaid's eyes flicked over her low collar and back to her face briefly. “Not really sure what this thing was supposed to do before we fixed it, could have been a weapon maybe? I made a few blueprints based off of the design and Winston helped me with the more sciencey bits.” Now that the hardest part was over, talking about Winston was an easy breeze. “I doubt I'd be here without him, he stuck it out with me when other scientists gave up.”

The mermaid made a small thoughtful noise, close to a hum as she took in that information. “So, what does it do  _ now?” _

Lena frowned as she thought that over. Winston knew more about what her accelerator could do, or at least the time travelling part. “It's… complicated.” She settled on, which earned her a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed look.

“I'm sure you can do much better than  _ that  _ sad excuse of an answer.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Suppose I can, but forgive me for being a bit reluctant to share my life support information with you.”

_ “... Je suis désolé.  _ I did not mean to-”

“It's alright… this just isn't exactly something I trust people with so lightly.” From the look of the mermaid's face, she seemed pretty genuine with her apology, sincere even. Which was a surprise in itself. An apology wasn't something she thought she'd ever hear from the other woman's lips. Lena just hoped this would help in gaining her trust. “I'm also wonderin’ how much you'll believe.”

“Try me.”

Well, she asked for it.

“I can sort of control my own time… Winston's words, not mine!” she added after seeing the sceptical expression on the mermaid's face. “I can blink forward and recall back, if I get in a pickle.” She tapped an index finger against the brass plate on her chest, “This keeps me in the present timeline, an anchor I guess you could call it? It's like my second heart; once the light goes out… so do I.”

“I see…”

Silence spread between them both as Lena allowed those words to sink in; lowering her gaze to her hands, a frown marring her features. The slight shame from having the machine strapped to her chest increased just a tad every time she spoke about it, it was a constant reminder of what she went through. She was sure the taller woman would think her a freak, just like the rest.

What she  _ didn't  _ expect was for the mermaid to break the awkward silence.

“You are not like the rest of your kind.  _ That, _ I think, is something to be celebrated, given a human's reputation.”

She looked up to the woman's face in surprise, only to be greeted by the mermaid’s curious expression. And of course, Lena being herself, decided this conversation was getting too serious. She grinned. “Careful, I might think you're actually starting to like me.”

The other woman snorted, “You are delusional.”

“You haven't denied it!”

That drew an interesting look from the mermaid features. “I suppose I haven't, although 'like’ is a strong word. To put it simply, I don't hate you _as_ _much_.”

Lena was fine with that. If she was somewhat less hated by this woman, she'd take it. Any doubt she’d had about this whole situation had flown out the window. She held her tongue, deciding against replying back with a quip; what she didn't need right now was for the mermaid to think she was getting too comfortable and scare her off.

“A deal is a deal. You may ask your question.”

“Huh?” That pulled Lena from her thoughts, she blinked rapidly in confusion until she remembered their agreement. “Oh, I almost forgot! No need to look so tense,” she added after seeing the woman's jaw lock and her stance still. “I'm not gonna demand any secrets from you.”

She could have sworn she heard the taller woman mumble,  _ “I'd like to see you try” _ under her breath, but decided to ignore that. “Then what  _ do  _ you want from me?”

Lena pondered her answer, knowing that asking any big or complicated questions would result in suspicion, and that was the  _ last  _ thing she wanted in this situation. She'd taken note that the mermaid wasn't one for many words.

“How about your name?”

She noted how the other woman stiffened slightly; frozen in place, the surprise evident on her features. “Of all the questions you could have asked me, you chose my name.”

Lena shrugged, “I don't have anything to call you by… I'll even tell you  _ my  _ name? How ‘bout that? Two answers for the price of one, bargain!”

A raised eyebrow. “You're assuming I  _ want _ your name. I am perfectly fine with calling you 'human’.”

The engineer grimaced. She was starting to regret her offer. “Alright, tha’s just  _ rude.  _ I take it back if you don't w- _ ” _

“Amélie. My name is Amélie.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I'm surprised I managed to do any writing at all with Horizon Zero Dawn being released, I even managed to get the platinum trophy for it! And with Mass Effect being released this week... Who knows when the next chapter will be written.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! Hope you guys like this chapter, it was pretty fun writing Amélie for this one.

Lena hadn't stopped grinning as they proceeded through the rest of the warehouse, in their search for whatever the mermaid was looking for. To her left, in the corner of her eye she could see the scowling profile of her newfound… friend? Lena wasn't sure she'd go as far as calling her a 'friend’ but it was a start, she supposed. At least the woman walked by her side now instead of behind her, she was hopeful there was a small sliver of trust in that.

She gave Amélie a sidewards glance with a slight smirk. “Knew you wanted my name, really.”

Amélie warily eyed the smug look on the human's face. She'd never seen someone smile so much, let alone because of _her._ It was odd. Unsettling. Since she'd given her name, so many emotions had passed over the other's face. It was strange to see someone so expressive.

The obnoxious little brat was taking it all out of proportion. She hardly even wanted the human's name. All she had wanted was to silence the annoying little pest.

“ _Mon dieu,_ must you _always_ be this aggravating?” she shot back.

“Nah, you're a special case.”

Amélie scoffed but otherwise said nothing, deciding to keep quiet as they continued walking.

As they got further down the hallway, Lena spoke up. “Hey... Amélie?”

_“Quelle?”_

Lena fumbled with her hands nervously as they came to a stop, before sticking one out in front of her. “I'm...”

Leo? Lena? Which one was she now? Which one did she _want_ to be?

“Lena. Lena Oxton.” She answered, finally settling on the truthful answer. It would be one less person to tell eventually, Lena couldn't afford to lose even a tiny speck of the mermaid's trust.

 _Lena._  A woman, Amèlie assumed. Not that she was an expert on human names, but that would explain why her song hadn't worked on this one in particular.

The mermaid just looked down at her hand warily, as if  she was unsure of what to do in this situation. She frowned, looking back up at the human's face in question. Lena faltered, looking from her stuck out hand to the taller woman's questioning expression. “Oh, you um... it's a handshake. You shake your hand with mine, it's what people do when greeting each other. A nice friendly gesture!” Lena explained. She waited with her hand still outstretched, unsure if Amélie would appreciate Lena grabbing her hand to show her. She just had to wait and hope.

What surprised her was that the other woman _actually_ reached forward hesitatingly and gripped the tips of Lena’s fingers in her own cool blue ones, wiggling both of their hands from side to side. Lena looked up to Amélie’s face, seeing confusion marring her usually unreadable expression.

Lena tried not to laugh. Honestly, she'd never seen someone so confused before. This was the first time she'd seen the other woman's demeanour change into something that wasn't cold or sarcastic.

She decided to take pity on the woman; gently prying her blue fingers apart before sliding her own palm against Amélie’s slightly larger, cool one. Lena was surprised how soft and cool the mermaid's skin was to the touch, and not scaly or moist like she'd imagined.

“Here,” Lena gripped her hand firmly, giving it a vigorous shake. “just like this, see?”

Amèlie just gave a curt nod as she pulled her hand from Lena’s grasp. “How… quaint.”

“Don't you lot have handshakes?”

The mermaid snorted as she continued forward, “Why would we partake in something so frivolous?” she threw over her shoulder.

To that, Lena had no retort. Scoffing at the woman's rude response as she hurried to follow, continuing their trek.

They walked a little further until Amélie abruptly came to a stop, throwing out an arm in front of Lena to halt her next step. Lena frowned, glancing down at the pale blue arm in front of her then up to the face of its owner. “What is it?”

“Wait.”

Amélie’s fanned ears flicked as they strained in the silence. She was sure she'd heard something through the quiet hall. She peered through the large shelving units until she heard it again, this time a little louder than before.

This time, Lena also heard something quietly ring out close by. Her eyes scanned the area until they came across an open door up ahead. It sounded like an old, scratchy record playing music.

“Psst!”

The mermaid glanced down at her human companion, an eyebrow raised in question. Without uttering a sound, Lena pointed in the direction of a slightly ajar, heavy metal door on the far side of the hall. The taller woman nodded as they both crouched, silently treading their way closer across the concrete flooring.

Once outside of the door, Lena creeped a little closer and pushed against the heavy metal surface. Thankfully, it didn't make much noise as she peeked behind it, confirming her earlier assumption that music was playing as she saw an old, bronze phonograph resting on top of a large stack of books in the corner. On the far side of the room sat an old, balding man with his back to the door; hunched over a desk. Lena could just about see the corner of a journal laying across its surface in front of him.

Backing back out of room, Lena leant against the wall, turning her attention to the woman next to her. “Looks like we've got company.” she whispered.

“This could complicate things.”

“Can't you use your singing to knock him out?”

Amélie frowned. “It should have already. This… _noise”_ she wrinkled her nose, clearly not enjoying the sounds emitting from behind the door, “must have blocked it.”

Lena sighed. “So we're buggered then?”

What she didn't expect was for the taller woman to give her a slight smirk as she straightened up.

“I never said _that.”_

What was that supposed to mean? Lena blinked confusedly at Amélie as the mermaid quietly slipped through the small crack of the doorway, leaving Lena by herself.

What on earth-

A few seconds later, she cringed from the abrupt rip of the music stopping, as well as hearing a muffled yelp and a scuffle. Before Lena could so much as touch the door, it sprung open, revealing the tall mermaid; leaning against the doorframe, checking her sharp black nails, as if bored. “Now, where were we?”

Lena, fearing the worst, pushed her way past Amélie and into the room, only to find the balding man from earlier, now unconsciously slumped over his desk.

“You didn't-”

“Kill him? _Non.”_

She hadn't heard the mermaid sidle up to her. And as if she already knew what Lena was about to ask, she'd had her answer at the ready.

Lena frowned. “Then... how'd you manage that?”

“Simple.” she replied, pulling her drawstring pouch from her hip to show the human the green, powdery substance within, “I used pufferfish skin.” Amèlie took a pinch full, rubbing the dust between her fingers. Lens watched as it fell from between her blue digits. “In large doses it can be lethal, however, inhaling small amounts can render even a behemoth of a man unconscious.”

The engineer’s eyes widened as she looked from the man, to the pouch tied back to the mermaid's hip.

“How long will he be out for?”

Amélie shrugged as her eyes darted towards the man, then back to Lena. “Depending on his size… I would say a couple of hours, give or take. Plenty of time to continue our search.”

Lena nodded and took in the room around her. Most of what she saw were stacks books, all piled up together, on every surface. Even the large cabinets in the far corner were bursting full of books and parchment. The unknown man wasn't one for decorating it seemed, the plain grey, painting-less walls gave the room an overall dull look. The lone brown rug that spread across the floor doing nothing to make it look less depressing. Apart from the lone wooden desk, phonograph, book stacks and cabinets, there was nothing else to look at.

“Hey, try not to-”

 

_**SMASH** _

 

She jumped at the sudden noise, whipping around to catch sight of Amélie… and the now shattered remains of the phonograph at the woman's feet.

Lena winced, “-break anything this time.”

Honestly, she really thought there wouldn't be any opportunity to break much in this room, clearly, she was wrong. She looked up to find the woman trying to feigning innocence.

“ _Oops._ ”

She rolled her eyes. “We both know you did that on purpose!”

“Complete accident. My hand slipped.” her lips curled slightly as she toed the smashed pieces. “Such a _pity_ he won't be able to hear from this piece of junk again.”

Lena sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. “Don't break _anything else_.”

“I'll try my absolute hardest, _cheriè.”_ was the reply she got, dripping with sarcasm.

Ignoring the other woman, Lena made her way over to the filing cabinets. She began thumbing through the contents of the open top drawer. “Y’know, you still haven't told me what you're looking for.”

Not even sparing Lena a glance, Amélie made quick work of shoving the man off of the desk for a better look of his journal. “You will know it when you see it.”

Did she actually expect an answer? Lena wasn't sure what she was expecting, really. Let's just say a part of her wasn't surprised over what she got.

 

**_Thwump_ **

 

Lena tensed, instantly stopping what she was doing to slowly turn around. Thinking she'd broken something else, she called out, “Please don't tell me you've broken-”

No, Amélie hadn't broken anything. What she _did_ find was the poor bloke she'd been trying to shift, in a heap on the floor as the other woman took his place at the desk.

_“Amélie!”_

That got her an annoyed look, one of the famous glares that she'd become so accustomed to before she turned back to the large, leather book in front of her. “He was in my way.” She flipped through a few pages before coming to a stop, stroking over the written words with her finger.

She glanced over at Lena while tapping her fingernail against the journal page. “Look here.”

Lena trudged across the room to peer over the woman's shoulder, seeing detailed drawings of various sea life, with small notes written in the margins. She looked to where Amélie had been pointing to; her finger skimming over a particular drawing, which was easily recognised as a mermaid.

Her eyes roved over the drawing, taking in what was shown before her. The sketch revealed a woman of different skin to Amélie; more of a salmon pink in colour. She realised quickly it'd be silly to assume they would all be the same, before going back to her study of the journal entry. Deep blue eyes stared back at her through long curtains of wild, inky black hair. She sported long gashes across her ribs like Amèlie’s, which, Lena still assumed were gills. Perhaps she would ask the taller woman sometime. Further down the page was her long, twisted tail; a pale gold in colour and decorated with filmy fins near her hips, which trailed down as long as her tail.

What interested Lena more was the little notes scribbled around the sketch:

 

**_Mermaids have no hair to speak of. Even what appears to be eyebrows are markings merely mimicking human features._ **

**_~_ **

**_Their “hair” is actually external gill filaments used to extract oxygen from the water._ **

~

**_Merfolk are at their most helpless out of water. Even though their dual-function lungs can breath air, their sensitive skin can dry out with overexposure to the sun and heat._ **

**_~_ **

**_They differ widely in colouration, sharing the distinctive characteristics of fish of their region._ **

~

**_Like certain species of tropical fish, mermaids may be capable of a physical transformation called protogyny, where a female mermaid may change herself physically into a male. This process allows the species to thrive and would explain the rarity of male sightings._ **

 

She barely had time to read more before Amélie took hold of the pages with one hand, using the other for leverage as she ripped them roughly out of the book. She scrumpled them together before struggling to force them into her already full pouch.

The taller woman was breathing heavily, her nostrils flaring angrily and her hands clenched into fists. Amélie’s eyes narrowed dangerously, looking down at her pouch. “I will _not_ allow this _parasite_ to gather more information about my kind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank stormyryder for this piece of art on this chapter, it was a really nice surprise to wake up to, thank you! :)
> 
> Check it out!  
> http://stormyryder.deviantart.com/art/Lena-and-Amelie-670182634


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE ONCE AGAIN. This chapter took a bit longer, mostly because I kind of got caught up with that other fic, plus I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter. I was planning on having more in this chapter but as I kept writing, I struggled to think of how to end the chapter. Good news is, I'm already starting the next part so hopefully I'll get it done sooner.
> 
> Anyhow, enjoy!

Lena wasn't sure if looking through those papers was a good idea, or worth it, considering how the mermaid next to her seemed to be glaring daggers down at the human heap at her feet. But at least it wasn't _her_ she was looming over this time. At least not yet.

 

She decided to stay quiet as she watched the taller woman grab the man at her feet by his scruff, lifting him to her eye level with an impressive amount of strength before slamming him down atop the desk, none too gently. She wondered if _she'd_ receive the same treatment, if Amélie knew she had also seen what was written.

 

As the mermaid proceeded to look through his pockets, Lena decided to speak up. She peered around her side, careful not to surprise the other woman.

 

“Hoping to find something in particular?” She asked.

 

Amélie gave a grunt as she turned her head to observe the short engineer; eyes narrowed, before turning back to the task at hand. “I don't believe for a _second_ that he has no more information about my kind.” her hands pat down over the surface of every pocket before slipping her fingers into them, her nose wrinkled in disgust with each section.

 

Lena continued to watch as Amélie drew object after object out from the man's pockets, most of it being useless junk. The mermaid examined each item she pulled out thoroughly, making sure they were of no importance before chucking them over her shoulder. Soon, the floor became littered with an assortment of pencils, doubloons that had spilled (more like aggressively emptied) from a fat coin purse, a strewn pack of tissues and some old pill packets.

 

“There must be _something.”_ The mermaid murmured, mostly to herself.

 

Her hand delved into the man's breast pocket; her fingers closing around something solid and cold. She frowned, pulling it out from underneath the human’s jacket.

 

Lena leaned in closer as Amélie turned the black device over in her hands. She recognised it as a tape recorder, not a new one either; the paint job had seen better days and the buttons had a certain wear to them. The mermaid’s brow furrowed as she pressed the various buttons, trying to figure out which button did what.

 

When Lena reached out to help however, Amélie growled, holding the recorder up high and away from her grasp. She knew better than to try and take it from her, instead, she held her hands up in defense. “Relax, I just wanted to have a look. No need to act all defensive, love.”

 

“You can look _without_ touching _._ You do not need to touch.” The woman fired back.

 

Lena grimaced. Was this mermaid her mother all of a sudden, because that's how it felt. Angie already took that spot, as if _she_ wasn't already enough. She recalled back to how she would get scolded, apparently touching expensive objects for sale in market stalls was frowned upon. Being told to look with her eyes, not her hands, still hadn't quite sunk in.

 

Different situation, same principle.

 

“I could help you, y’know. You only need to ask.” She offered.

 

Amélie lowered her arm, eyeing Lena suspiciously with her fingers gripped tightly around the recorder. The taller woman knew she wouldn't be able to make the little box work by herself, human artifacts such as this were beyond her knowledge. The sailor _had_ proven her usefulness so far...

 

Quite reluctantly and to Lena's surprise, the mermaid held out the black device for her to take.

 

“Show me then.” She more or less ordered after shoving it into the human's hands.

 

Lena gave her a grin, which earned her a scowl in return. “Wasn't so hard, was it?”

 

Lena turned the box over, inspecting it from every angle, noticing the symbols on each button had been rubbed away with too much use. She experimented, fiddling with each one to figure out which switch linked to what action. The rewind and forward buttons were easy to tell apart as she felt the little box whir and vibrate, the tape inside wrapping and unwrapping around each reel. The eject button, also a simple find after the lid of the recorder sprang open, revealing the cassette inside. Lastly, she pressed the smallest button on the side which seemed to bring the cassette player to life.

 

What she heard was broken speech, the cassette inside must have been slightly damaged. At least they could both make out _some_ of what was being said as Lena held it out between them. Amélie stepped closer to listen.

 

**_“-done it, successfully c---ptured one!”_ **

 

**_“S---- won't tell me any------ b--- make her.”_ **

 

Some parts looped over others, Lena strained her ears to hear more with a frown.

 

**_“---m-maids are tough----b--have my resourc---s”_ **

 

Lena’s eyes widened and she looked up at Amélie, whose eyes stared down intently at the recorder.

 

 _“_ **_CSHHK---more compliant after---”_ **

 

**_“Subject---d--- elimination---”_ **

 

**_End of transmission._ **

 

Amélie’s eyes hardened as she gripped Lena's wrist and snatched the cassette player from her grasp. Lena let her, knowing it would be fruitless to try and stop her. The taller woman held it in a white knuckled grip, as if she was trying to crush it within her fist.

 

“I- blimey, are they keeping someone ‘ere? Is that what you're here for?” Lena finally asked, a bit mortified.

 

The mermaid jerked her head in Lena's direction, as if only just realising she was still there. She released her hold on the human’s wrist and lowered her gaze back to the black box, letting out a large sigh. Her face screwed up as more emotions passed over her face, more than Lena had ever seen her show before; pain was new, anger was quite obvious and lastly, resignation.

 

“It is… partially the reason, yes.”

 

What had Lena gotten herself into?

 

“This is what humans do. They capture us, _torture_ us until they get what they want; information. Then, we are useless to them.” Amélie spat, shoving the recorder angrily into her belt.

 

Lena hadn't thought the war between humans and merpeople could be _that_ bad, nor that it was apparently the humans that were the worst of the lot. But then what did she expect? The books she read were written by humans, of course. Everything she'd ever learnt about mermaids turned out to be false.

 

She hung her head. Lena had never felt more ashamed to be a human being.

 

“I'm… sorry.”

 

Amélie looked slightly surprised as her eyes flicked over to her with an eyebrow raised. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

 

Lena held her hands up. “Not at all! I'm not making lame excuses for humans either. It's wrong what they're doing, and telling the rest of us it's _mermaids_ that are the problem?” She clicked her tongue in disgust.

 

The mermaid was taken aback by Lena's thoughts of her own kind. She hadn't exactly expected her to be against the human methods, which made her quite pleasantly surprised. Perhaps this human really _was_ different from the others. Would trusting her with the information on those notes be a good idea? Amélie was beginning to see a different side to her human companion, although that still didn't mean she would let her guard down.

 

“Enough about my shitty species, we're on a rescue mission!” Lena remembered. “Any idea where they might be keeping your friend?”

 

The taller woman shook her head. “Unfortunately not.”

 

Lena heaved out a defeated sigh, stepping back to sweep her eyes around the room, just in case they'd missed something, not expecting her boots to make a clunking noise against the floor as her feet scraped over the brown rug draped underneath her, as if the floor under it were hollow. She stopped a second before tapping her boots against the floor, again, hearing the same echoing noise.

 

She threw Amélie a look before turning her gaze back to the floor. Crouching down, Lena wrapped her fingers around the side of the heavy rug, pulling it up and off the floor with one sweep. She threw it to the side, not without taking her eyes off of where the rug had once been. Now, some sort of metallic hatch took its place. Lena studied it, noticing the heavy bolt to open it held a large silver lock, the size of her fist. She held it in her palm, tugging it in hope that it'd be loosened.

 

“Locked,” Lena said, stating the obvious. She looked up at the mermaid from her crouched position. “Didn't find a key on him by any chance, did you?”

 

The mermaid turned her attention back to the desk, squinting. “It’s possible I overlooked something.” she replied, making her way over to the human still slumped on the surface.

 

Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she slipped her fingers past the man's jacket once again, feeling more smaller pockets inside. After some digging around, her fingers brushed against an oddly shaped object which she instantly gripped on to, pulling it out from small compartment.

 

A key! Amélie held it in her palm. It looked small compared to her hand, but it was unmistakably the match to the lock in their way. She turned back to Lena, who was waiting expectantly.

 

“Here, catch.” She said, chucking the key with an underarm throw in her companion’s direction. With quick reflexes, Lena caught it in her outstretched hand. “Ta very much!”

 

Lena fumbled with the key in her fingers as she grabbed the lock with her other hand, holding it firmly to slide the key through the slot, turning it towards her with a click as the lock sprang open.

 

“Bingo!”

 

After removing the latch and pulling the bolt out of the way, Lena gripped the trap doors handle and tried to lift it, struggling against the heavy steel of the lid. She grunted and tried again, her arms straining but to no avail. She looked over to the mermaid, noticing the small smirk that graced her lips as she watched Lena struggle.

 

“Uh, a little help?” She pleaded.

 

Amélie folded her arms, barely hiding the mischievous glint in her eyes. “But you're doing such a _spectacular_ job already.”

 

“You _know_ I'm not,” Lena huffed. “Come on, please?”

 

“I have a human on her knees, _begging_. Let me savour this.” The shorter woman had certainly teased her enough, why shouldn't she return the favour?

 

Lena eyed the mermaid towering over her in disbelief. She wasn't expecting that, especially the teasing. “Unbelievable! You're a right piece of bloody work, you are.” she accused.

 

Her outburst only made Amélie’s smirk widen, spreading into a full blown grin which showed off her even pearly whites. “You aren't the first to tell me that, nor will you be the last, _chérie.”_

 

She sauntered forward, slapping Lena's hands away from the handle and pulled it upwards with one fluid motion, barely struggling against the weight of the door as she pushed it back. The hinges creaked as the metal sheet clanged to the floor with a dull thud. Lena watched, mouth gaping at the pure strength in the mermaid's biceps.

 

The mermaid threw a smug look over her shoulder at Lena. “I don't know why you struggled so much, that was too easy.”

 

How impressed she was suddenly changed from that comment. Clamping her mouth shut, she scowled, mumbling under her breath as she straightened up from her crouched position.

 

Lena stepped up next to the other woman and turned her attention towards the dark path which Amélie had opened. It was pitch black, not much to see from their current view. She examined the walls anxiously, unable to find a light switch in the gloomy stairway. Lucky she had her accelerator, really.

 

She give a sideways glance to Amélie, who was also peering suspiciously into the darkness. The mermaid looked just as reluctant as Lena felt.

 

“Ladies first?” She joked, gesturing down into the dark.

 

Amélie's lips curled upwards slightly, not enough to be called a smile but still noticeable. She reached over and grasped the side of Lena's collar, pulling her backwards into her front with a sneer. “I don't think so.” Lena barely had time to squeak as her back collided with the taller woman's front before she was shoved forward, stumbling directly into the opening.

 

“You first.”

 

Lena hesitated, straining her eyes through the dim passage before glancing over her shoulder. “Y-you sure you don't wanna go first?” She asked.

  
Amélie quirked an eyebrow. “I'm quite positive. Now move.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter after just 10 days? What is this? I'll be honest, I got competitive with how fast a friend got her writing done and it gave me a good kick up the arse to focus on mine. She knows who she is. 
> 
> This chapter was pretty fun to write, and quicker because I had more time to work on it. 
> 
> Thanks again to Saltsoldier for being my VIP beta reader! You're a bloody diamond

It was freezing and damp, that much Lena could tell as she stumbled down the dark staircase, Amélie right behind her, sharp fingernails gripping onto the back of her leather jacket as Lena guided them both through the cavernous hallway. Lena brought her hands up to rub at her cold upper arms as she began to shiver. She wondered how much that had to do with the cold, and not the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

 

What would they find at the end of this tunnel? She couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen as they continued forward.

 

Her accelerator light spilled across the stone walls, which Lena noticed were caked in moss and algae. Water trickled down the sides and dripped from the ceiling, giving the area a strong stagnant smell. Her nose twitched. At least the smell was better than the rotting fish from the warehouse.

 

Amélie didn’t seem to mind the cold, she noticed. Lena supposed she was also thankful for the damp air that surrounded them.

 

Lena felt on edge, her ears pricking at every little noise she could hear, whether it be a water drop or her own boots scuffing against the ground. Even her own breathing sounded too loud in the quiet tunnel.

 

“Y’know…” Lena winced as her voice bounced off the walls, echoing throughout the hallway. “I’m surprised you didn’t want to off that bloke back there.” she added in a more hushed voice.

 

The mermaid behind her remained silent for a whole minute before speaking, as if she was wondering how to respond. “He is unconscious. I want him to _feel_ it when I kill him.” Amélie focussed her gaze on the back of Lena’s head, watching the spiky mop of hair bounce as she moved.

 

“Would you stop me?” She asked abruptly.

 

Lena came to a halt, feeling Amélie bump into her before taking a step back and letting go of her jacket as the shorter woman turned around to face her, the light from her chest illuminating both their faces.

 

She thought about that question, and physically, Lena knew she wouldn't be able to stop a mermaid. She'd be faster certainly, but the both of them knew Amélie was stronger. The next thing she wondered was if she actually _wanted_ to stop the mermaid from her revenge. She thought back to those notes and the recorder, feeling the bile rise at the back of her throat.

 

Amélie was quiet as she waited for her reply, but she didn't look nervous. Quite the contrary, she'd be ready to fight Lena just as quickly if it meant survival.

 

“No.” She answered after the long pause.

 

_“No?”_

 

“No.” Lena repeated, more firmly this time.

 

The mermaid cocked her head to the side, observing Lena through curious eyes. “Are you not just telling me what I want to hear?”

 

“After seeing what he's capable of? No. I wouldn't blame you for wanting him dead.” Lena's gaze flicked up to the taller woman's face, finding confusion marring her features.

 

“I… was not expecting that.” She regarded Lena, looking over every little detail of her face, looking for any trace of a lie. When she found none, she added, “You really are an odd human.”

 

A genuine laugh slipped through Lena's lips. “Careful, love. That almost sounded like a compliment coming from you.”

 

Amélie grimaced. “Take it as you will.” She gripped Lena's arms and spun her around to face the front while she still giggled. “We need to keep moving.” she added, giving Lena another push forward.

 

“Aye aye!” she replied, giving a mock salute.

 

They continued their trek, the tunnel getting colder and wetter the more they travelled along the bumpy path. Lena hummed to herself, which was comforting in the eerie surroundings. She let her mind wander back to the notes she'd read earlier. Should she tell Amélie? Or did the mermaid already know she'd read them? Why hadn't she mentioned it? It gnawed at her.

 

As if reading Lena's mind, the taller woman spoke up behind her. “I know you read what was in that book.” she said quietly.

 

_Oh._

 

Lena faltered in her step, sucking in a deep breath. She'd hardly expected her to bring it up so bluntly. Lena hadn't heard any emotion coming from the mermaid, which could be either a good or bad thing.

 

“Y-you a mind reader or somethin’?”

 

The mermaid hummed lightly. “So you've been thinking about it.” she stated more than asked.

 

“Worrying more like...” Lena mumbled under her breath.

 

Amélie ignored that comment. “What I'm more interested in,” she gripped the back of Lena's jacket again, hearing her squeak. Her eyes narrowed. “is what you intend to do with that information.”

 

Apart from Angela, she hadn't planned on telling anyone about what she'd read. Least of all the rest of the crew, not even Winston. How could she even begin? And Angie… Lena winced. Would Amélie feel the same with Angela wanting to study mermaids? She was a doctor after all, the mermaid could see that as a threat. After seeing all the tools her medic friend had, she wouldn't blame Amélie for feeling uneasy.

 

Lena tread carefully. “I- well, I'm not plannin’ on kidnapping a mermaid if that's what you're worried about?” She peered over her shoulder, thinking it better for Amélie to see her face. The mermaid remained silent, which Lena took as an invitation to continue. “Look at me, love, do I _look_ like I can tussle with you and come out on top? You proved earlier that you're stronger.”

 

“But-”

 

Lena interrupted her. “I'm not asking you to trust me so quickly, but gimme a bit of credit, yeah? Would I be helping you right now if I was in league with these arseholes?”

 

The human _did_ have a point, Amélie thought.

 

She still had questions, however. “Let’s say I give you the chance, then what? What do you get out of helping me?” she asked, curiously.

 

“Truthfully? Not a bloody sausage! Unless you count doing the right thing?”

 

“Not a-?”

 

“It’s an expression, means nothing at all!”

 

The mermaid's nose crinkled at Lena's odd words. “Your English is atrocious.”

 

Lena snorted, taking a glance to the front for a second, checking her footing. She looked back with a grin. “Not the first time someone's said that to me.”

 

Amélie was about to reply before noticing her surroundings were becoming lighter, the air around them becoming uncomfortable and stifling with each step forward. The walls around them no longer dripped with water, instead they appeared cracked and dry.

 

She lifted her gaze up and over Lena's spiky mop, noticing an orange glowing light up ahead, her breathing more laboured from the suffocating heat. Her steps slowed to a stop as she struggled to keep up with Lena, leaning on the side of the cave for support, her throat as dry as the cracked walls felt.  

 

Lena turned her head at the silence, wondering why the taller woman hadn't said anything, noticing the mermaid wasn't following. She spun around, hurrying back to Amélie’s side, bringing both hands up to cup the mermaid's cheeks, trying to keeping her head upright as her posture became slouched, eyes drooping sluggishly.

 

“Oi, stay with me!” she panicked, lightly tapping Amélie’s cheeks.

 

If the mermaid had her strength, she would have recoiled from the human’s touch; feeling the rough gloves against her cheeks wasn't pleasant, having Lena's freckled nose almost touching hers was far too close and unsettling, but she could barely keep her eyes open from the intense warmth.

 

Lena wrapped an arm around the woman's waist, lifting Amélie’s arm to rest over her shoulders as she walked her back the way they came, almost having to haul the mermaid's extra weight as she slumped against her.

 

Once further back, the air became moist enough for Amélie to drag in a couple of ragged breaths. Any longer and her skin would have started to blister, suffocation would have got her before that, however. She dropped to her knees and retched, heaving out choked gasps while gripping the cave wall with trembling fingers. The mermaid barely noticed the human's small palm rubbing light circles over her back, any words coming out of Lena's mouth sounded distant and garbled as her ears rang loudly.

 

“Christ,” Lena breathed, she leaned against the opposite wall, letting her back scrape down it as she sat to catch her breath. “you alright, love?”

 

Amélie glanced over at her, the woman she still called 'human’ instead of her actual name, the human that had saved her _twice._ Even now, her spiky haired companion worried about her wellbeing.

 

 _“Merci,_ Lena.” she croaked, grimacing at her raspy voice. Her throat felt like razor sharp daggers had scratched their way down her windpipe.

 

Any other time and Lena would have teased the other woman for using her name, sadly this wasn’t the right time, observing how serious the situation was. Lena was by no means a serious person, but she recognised when and where it wasn’t appropriate. Instead, she fought the wide smile fighting to show on her face, peering back towards the orange glare at the end of the tunnel.

 

“I guess that way is a no-go.” Lena sighed. She fumbled around in her overall pocket, fishing out a small brown hip flask- a gift from Torbjörn. He’d told her it was meant for an _alcoholic pick-me-up_ , Lena however didn’t fancy getting intoxicated 24/7 like he did. Instead, she usually filled it full of clean water, even tea if Angela had brewed some. She had a feeling her dwarven friend would disapprove if he ever found out. She uncorked the flask and held it out for the mermaid to take.

 

Amélie eyed it warily, looking from the bottle in her hand to her face, and back again.

 

“It’s just water,” Lena assured, taking a small swig herself. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “See?” she offered it again, this time surprised as a hand enclosed her own, plucking the flask from her fingers. She watched as the mermaid brought the flask up to her nose, giving it a quick sniff before bringing it to her lips, tipping the flask back as she drank eagerly, draining the whole thing in one go.

 

“Thank you.” she whispered, handing the empty bottle back to Lena.

 

Lena stood up and made her way over to Amélie, crouching down next to her. “Listen, I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re in no state to go back down there.” she said, jerking her head in the direction of the light. “You sit tight, yeah? I'll go check it out.” Lena made to straighten up before a hand shot out to grab the collar of her jacket- which was really starting to feel like deja vu- as her face came in close to Amélie’s.

 

The mermaid looked desperate as she clung to Lena. “Get her out of there… _please?”_

 

It struck Lena that she was being trusted with this, even though the woman didn't have much of a choice. It dawned on her that she might not be able to follow through with her task. What if this other mermaid was already dead?

 

“And... what if I can't?”

 

Amélie’s face hardened as she gripped Lena's jacket in a white knuckled grip, yanking her closer to whisper in her ear.

 

“ _Give them hell.”_

 

* * *

 

Lena continued forward, instantly wishing she were back in the cooler part of the cave as the heat hit her with full force. She began to sweat, even though she'd left her jacket behind with Amélie this time, knowing she wouldn't need it up ahead. Her goggles stuck uncomfortably against her sticky cheeks, and without having them push her hair back, the spikes drooped over her eyes to her annoyance.

 

At the end of the corridor, she found a large steel door which was very slightly ajar, big enough for her to slide into. Once inside, she couldn't help the little gasp that slipped between her lips, her hands shot up to cover her mouth in horror.

 

Unmoving bodies hung limply against the walls, ropes and chains holding them up like sick puppet decorations. Lena counted at least three or four, and it was easy to tell they weren't human bodies.

 

_Mermaids._

 

Lena gulped as she moved silently between the water tanks that the creatures were half submerged in, careful not to take her eyes off them - as much as she didn't want to look - just in case one jumped out at her.

 

She leaned over one copper tank, peering at one of the bodies - a woman younger than Amélie, her horribly dry skin a pretty shade of pink with a pale coloured tail, dark messy waves of hair fell over her shoulders. With a jolt, Lena recognised her from the drawing she'd found in that office. Her eyes were closed and when Lena reached up slowly to check for her pulse, there was none.

 

It was one thing seeing a drawing of one, but actually seeing a mermaid in their true form was a whole new story. The poor woman must have been beautiful once, now her skin was bruised, unhealthy and cracked as if a single touch could break it apart, her hair appeared brittle and split in places, the gills on her ribs were closed up.

 

Lena pushed away from the tank, no longer wanting to look at the dead mermaid, hoping this wasn't the one she was supposed to be looking for. She didn't get far before coming across another tank, occupied by another type of mermaid, this one with short, flaming red hair and white - almost translucent - skin. Lena squinted, looking into the black swirls of water, unable to see her tail.

 

She moved on, quietly creeping through the other numerous tanks that filled the chamber, the stench of salt and fish assaulting her nostrils. A control panel in front of her caught her eye as she manoeuvred around the bodies, the large monitor screen taking up most of the wall space.

 

Her eyes flicked across it as she moved closer, taking in the separate sections of the screen. Lena looked down, her fingers brushing over a section of shiny buttons. She frowned. Compared to the rest of the facility, the control panel looked brand new.

 

What she wanted to find was a way to turn off the heat, but with no labels on these buttons, Lena didn't particularly want to find out what the other controls did. One button stood out from the rest; larger than the others and yellow in colour, the paint chipping around the edges, as if used more often than the rest. Lena’s curiosity peaked as she reached out to touch, fingers hovering over it and ready to press down before movement behind her made her freeze.

 

Fear crawled up her neck at the sound of water sloshing about. Slowly turning her head slightly to the side, Lena could have sworn she saw a faint pink glow.

 

“Careful what you touch, _mi amiga.”_


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter so soon? What's wrong with me. Feels like I've been whacking out chapters left, right and center. Thank my competitive streak with that friend I mentioned. 
> 
> As always, big thanks to Saltsoldier for reading through my garbage, you're a star!

Lena yelped, whirling around and stumbling backwards into the control panel, hands grasping around for something, _anything_ to stop her fall. Her fingers settled around some sort of switch while reaching back to find purchase. A loud groaning shudder emitted from behind her as the power seemed to cut out, enveloping Lena and the mystery person into total darkness.

 

She strained her eyes through the dim lighting her accelerator gave, adjusting her eyesight as quickly as she could. Although she could just about see thanks to the warm blue glow, she realised the unknown assailant would _also_ see every move she made.

 

Chains rattled nearby, causing her to panic and pull out the old wrench from her front pocket, swinging it upwards and ready to attack if needed. Silence followed as Lena tried her best to cover up the light protruding from her chest. Better to not be seen than be able to see - or did mermaids have different vision to a human? Covering up could prove useless if her attacker had heat-seeking vision.

 

While she pondered that thought, a glowing pink tendril dashed through the air and cracked against her hand, making Lena drop her only weapon with an alarmed shriek. As she bent down to snatch it back, she watched as the pink appendage wrapped itself around the handle, pulling it away from her grasp and into the dark.

 

Blind and now weaponless, Lena kept her eyes on the darkness, waiting for the next strike.

 

In her unexpected surprise, she hadn't noticed the sharp stinging pain that spread across her knuckles. She winced, rubbing over the back of her hand. Whatever had hit her stung like whip crack.

 

“Why so afraid, _corderito?”_ an undoubtedly female voice crooned, making the hairs at her nape prickle.

 

Lena flinched, eyes darting anywhere and everywhere as she searched for the source of the disembodied voice, echoing around her. A delighted chuckle vibrated down her spine.

 

“We could have some _fun,_ you and I.”

 

She began to sweat, listening closely for any noises to tell where the voice was coming from.

 

Two luminous tentacles flew from the dark, wrapping around the straps of Lena's dungarees and hauling her forward. She barely had time to scream before she was lifted into the air and pulled into the dark, coming to a sudden stop, face to face with the mystery woman.

 

She gasped, kicking her legs as she dangled a few inches from the ground, the straps of her overalls straining. Her accelerator illuminated the face before her. Punky, bright pink and brown spiked hair framed the woman's small face – which looked shaved on both sides, instead sporting what looked like metallic bands, which pulsed with a purple glow. The mermaid's dark skin appeared to be decorated with bright – almost luminous – green paint. Sharp eyebrow shaped markings lowered over lilac coloured eyes, which glinted mischievously as they locked on to Lena's own.

 

The woman cocked her head to the side as her playful eyes darted over Lena's features. “Look what we have here.” she purred.

 

“I-I, um-” Lena stuttered, her voice a higher pitch than normal. She gulped audibly, finding it hard to swallow with the lump stuck in her throat. She watched as her wrench floated above them, swinging back and forth teasingly from a hooked tentacle. Her eyes lowered back to the other woman's curious gaze, noticing how her lilac eyes flicked down to her accelerator every so often.

 

“Well, isn't this just _interesting…”_  she said, her accented voice piqued with interest as the mermaid lowered her head to inspect it, tapping the case with a lucent tendril through Lena's t-shirt.

 

The engineer froze but said nothing, afraid that any noise she tried to make would come out as more of a squeak. The urge to squirm and blink away was overwhelming but she stayed still, waiting for the other woman's next move.

 

“Put the human _down_ , Sombra.”

 

Relief flooded through Lena as she turned her head towards where Amélie’s voice had come from, hearing her feet tap against the hard floor as she manoeuvred her way through the glass tanks. She heard a dramatic sigh from the other mermaid, turning back to find her pouting sulkily.

 

“Do you have to ruin my fun, Amé?” she whined, uncurling her tendrils from Lena's clothes and dropping her unceremoniously onto the hard floor, not bothering to hide how pleased she was over the human's not so soft landing.

 

The lights flicked on and this time, without the heated lamps that Lena now noticed hung from the low ceiling. Lena blinked, adjusting to the brightness as she looked around, finding Amélie by the control panel; displeasure radiating off of her as she took in the sight the other mermaid, which made Lena turn back around to see for herself.

 

_Not so threatening after all then._

 

The dark skinned woman hung from an overhead beam, chains adorned her arms which were linked together above her head. Like the other mermaids, her body was half submerged in a glass tank. If Lena looked close enough, she could just about see silvery dots scattered here and there across the woman's body- scales, she presumed. Her skin was dry but not cracking, not fragile like a China doll. Lena guessed it was something to do with still being submerged… but if that were the case, why had the others died?

 

To her credit, she hadn't stared for _too_ long at the woman's naked chest. Lena glanced down to peer through the glass, eyes widening as she saw the woman's bottom half fanned out at the waist like a skirt; tendrils floated from underneath it in wispy pink trails, which Lena thought resembled jellyfish stingers.

 

“It's rude to stare, _humano.”_ the woman named 'Sombra’ drawled, her cat-like eyes studying the human suspiciously.

 

Lena’s neck felt like it would snap from how fast she jerked her head to the side, a rosy blush flushing her cheeks as she picked herself up from the ground with a scowl, brushing off any dust and dirt that clung to her clothes. Amélie brushed past her, passing over her jacket while her eyes remained solely on the other mermaid.

 

“Care to tell me what's going on, _ombre?”_ She asked, sliding up next to the tank. Amélie fished around through her pouch, pulling out what Lena recognised instantly as her pen knife. She began working on picking the rusty locks which hung heavily from Sombra’s wrists.

 

“I could ask _you_ the same,” her narrowed eyes peered over at Lena; who still observed the two mermaids. She resisted the urge to back down from the glare, giving her own one back.

 

Amélie followed her gaze, the smallest of smiles curled her lips before she went back to working on the other mermaids bindings. “Lena is-”

 

“ _Lena?_ ” Sombra raised an eyebrow, shifting her gaze from both mermaid and human. “ _Ohoho_ , you're on a first-name basis already? _Ay dios mio,_ you've been busy!”

 

Lena looked away awkwardly while Amélie grimaced, the small smile she'd given Lena completely wiped from her face.

 

“It isn't what it looks like, this one is…” she glanced back over to the human. “odd?” she pondered over that word, instead deciding another, “different.” she finished after a long pause.

 

“Since when are humans _different?”_ The pink haired woman argued back, giving Lena a quick glare before turning her attention back to Amélie. “Do I need to remind you over what happened with G-”

 

“ _Enough._ I do not need the reminder _._ ”

 

Lena carefully peered over at the two, almost feeling the thick tension that surrounded them both. They stared each other down, as if daring the other to continue until the lock Amélie was working on clicked open, the chains slipping down the other woman's body and into the water with a heavy splash.

 

Once her arms had become unshackled, she leant weakly against Amélie without another word, rubbing her sore, red wrists as she sat on the edge of the tank. The dark skinned woman swiveled around, letting her tendrils flop to the floor. Lena couldn't help but gawp as the woman's tentacles seemed to evaporate into smog, leaving behind a pair of toned, muscular legs.

 

Very naked muscular legs.

 

Lena politely looked away, turning her head as far as she could with a pink tinge to her cheeks. It was stupid to think a mermaid would carry around spare clothing. What use were clothes to a mermaid after all, Lena imagined they'd be too constricting. She briefly wondered where Amélie had scrounged her own from, not that what she wore could even be classed as _clothes_ exactly. The thought alone made her cheeks burn like a hot stove.

 

Sombra quirked an eyebrow at the human, looking to Amélie while nodding back to Lena. “At least this one has the decency to look away, that other one you picked up gave me the creeps.”

 

Amélie just leveled her with a look.

 

Lena felt sympathy for the taller woman as she listened in on their conversation. Other one she picked up? Had Lena not been the first human for Amélie to trust? If she hadn't, clearly the first one had been a mistake to be trusted. She couldn't help but feel a little twinge of annoyance, it made her feel more determined to win her over.

 

The pink haired mermaid pursed her lips but otherwise said nothing, stretching out her legs and curling her toes to test them out. She placed a hand at her shoulder, moving it in a circular motion to rub out the kinks in her arms before moving to the next. With a sigh she straightened up, hopping off the tanks edge and grasping onto the taller woman for stability.

 

“You didn't answer my question before. About _that._ ” Sombra whispered loudly, glancing up at the taller woman she held onto, jerking her thumb quite obviously in Lena's direction.

 

“You didn't answer mine either, _ombre.”_ Amélie pointed out.

 

She pouted. “Touché. Me first then?” she asked, giving an exaggerated huff. Amélie pushed the woman back to get a better look of her, waiting for her to continue.

 

“I overheard them talking,” Sombra began casually, waving the taller woman off. “you know me, I love hearing gossip.” She grinned at the eye roll Amélie gave her.

 

Her grin slowly left her face as she continued. She looked down from Amélie’s scrutinising gaze. “They mentioned Satya… or a sister who looked like her,” her eyes swept across the room, as if looking for the woman she mentioned. “I haven't seen her in days. I got worried and, well, you can see how that turned out for me.” She added, nodding towards the shackles that had bound her.

 

“Go on.”

 

The shorter mermaid quirked an eyebrow up at her. “In a hurry so soon?”

 

“Sombra, we're in a - what is this, a testing laboratory?” She nodded her own confirmation, Amélie continued. “The less time I spend in here, the better.” she began pushing Sombra towards the door, checking back to find Lena cautiously tailing behind her. The taller woman felt a small stab of sympathy for the human.

 

“ _Really._ I had no idea, Amé.” Sombra replied back sarcastically, bringing her attention back to her. “But I suppose you're right. She isn't here at any rate.” She allowed herself to be guided back through the big metal door, shivering slightly from the cool air of the dank tunnel. She wrapped her arms around her torso, rubbing them across her skin for warmth - which Amélie noticed.

 

She lifted the wrap that had been covering her own body over her head, unraveling the material enough that it resembled more of a poncho, enveloping the shorter mermaid's shoulders with it.

 

“Here. I don't feel the cold as much as you do.” she said while closing the fabric over Sombra’s chest.

 

Meanwhile, Lena tried not to swoon as her face burned scarlet, her eyes raking over Amélie’s muscular back - had that black spider-like marking always been there? Her gaze trailed along one of the dark legs, reaching a small red hourglass mark at the middle.

 

That's about as far as she got before the taller woman stopped - letting Sombra walk ahead - and turned to face her, eyebrow raised; faintly amused at the dazed expression on Lena's face, her lips ajar comically. She would never understand why humans reacted towards nudity in such a way. It was natural. Amélie reached over to gently tip Lena's chin upwards, effectively closing her mouth.

 

Lena blinked, shaking her head slightly as she made sure to look at the mermaid in the face, cheeks tinged prettily.

 

“R-right! Um…” she struggled for something to say as Amélie crossed her arms, waiting; not helping Lena whatsoever. She tried not to look down, she really did. At least until she saw how the woman's shoulders shook a little with every breath. She didn't have to look far to see the tiny goosebumps along her blue skin.

 

“So you _are_ cold!”

 

All embarrassment flew out the window as she held out her jacket for the woman to take. Amélie eyed it warily.

 

“Lena, _no_ -”

 

“I can see you're cold!” she huffed, persistently nudging the jacket closer.

 

“It's too small-” a small hand over her lips cut her off. Amélie glowered dangerously at her which Lena chose to ignore.

 

“Just put it on, will you? Here,” she held it out, motioning Amélie to turn back around for her to stuff her arms in the holes. She pushed the jacket up the reluctant mermaid's arms, hiking it over her shoulders. Lena spun her back around, fingers wrapping around the collar to pull it forward, adjusting it before wrapping it closed.

 

She took a step back, admiring how the jacket hung neatly from the mermaid's body. Lena let out a low whistle. “Not bad, suits you!” She told her with a grin.

 

“Tch.” Amélie wrapped the jacket more securely around herself, nails scratched lightly over the worn brown leather. It was comfortable and warm, the fluffy collar tickling her neck as it brushed against her skin. Not that she would admit it however. “Let's keep it moving.” She turned to follow the passage which Sombra had taken.

 

If Lena hadn't been watching, she would have missed the ghost of a smile gracing Amélie’s lips before she sauntered towards the exit, gripping the jacket close to her chest. She stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds until reality caught up with her, shaking Lena from her thoughts, a small bubble of laughter escaping her mouth as she jogged up to the two mermaids waiting at the end of the tunnel.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, it's been a while. Sorry for the long wait! I ended up having too much fun with that VR smut fic. I think every now and then I need a small break to work on other ideas I've got flooding my Google docs.

Getting out of the tunnel went without a hitch, the light bleeding through the trapdoor above was a welcome sight compared to the darkness behind them. Lena went first, keeping an eye out for any trouble as she climbed up the steps, the pungent smell of fish assaulting her nostrils once more.

Once at the top of the steps, Lena peered around, noticing the still unconscious human that Amélie had knocked out earlier on the table, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths and sticky trail of saliva dribbled from the corner of his lips. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

She felt a body push past her, looking up to find the dark skinned mermaid, nose upturned, expression disinterested.

_“Sombra.”_ Amélie warned, to Lena's surprise and gratitude.

“Pfft,” The woman's eyes flicked between the two of them. “what's the dealio with this one anyway? You failed to mention.” she crossed her arms, waiting expectantly.

“Not that it's _any_ of your concern, but she saved my life,” she replied, casually stuffing her hands in Lena's jacket pockets. “twice.” she added.

Sombra tilted her head, uncrossing her arms and letting them swing at her sides, her eyes widened a fraction in surprise. _“Qué?_ When was this?”

Amélie shrugged. “A few days ago on the beach… and earlier.”

The darker skinned mermaid looked from Lena to Amélie, as if waiting for one of them to start laughing over a bad joke. When no laughter came, she cocked her head to the side and regarded Lena with her curious gaze.

“Quite an oddball, aren’t you?” she asked, taking in Lena’s every detail, from her freckled face right down to her worn boots.

Before say more, Amélie spoke up. “Must we do this here? She asked, motioning around the room, “the longer we stay, the more I feel on edge.”

Sombra squinted at her, hands on hips. “Fine, but don’t think this means I’m finished interrogating, _chica_.”  

 

* * *

 

Making their way through the large fishing warehouse was surprisingly easy to say the least, all of the workers still appeared to be sleeping, slumped against each other or their assigned machinery. Lena certainly wasn't complaining. She glanced over her shoulder, taking in the sight of Amélie behind her.

The mermaid had singlehandedly lifted the large man from earlier and hoisted him over her shoulder in a fireman's lift. It was impressive, he had to be about three, maybe four times bigger than the woman and yet she was, carrying him, not even breaking a sweat with her bicep muscles barely straining.

Amélie’s strength sure was something else entirely.

“So, where we off to?” Lena asked, not directing her question to either specifically, finally breaking the awkward silence between the three of them. Amélie she was relatively comfortable with, Sombra however was a completely new territory.

The air around them was still as they slipped through the open storehouse, coming back to the alleyway that Lena had followed Amélie through hours ago. Lena noted the sky had dimmed a little darker and wondered how long she’d been gone for. She winced, knowing Angie would kill her when she next saw her. It wasn’t until they reached the end of the alley that someone spoke up, and to her surprise it wasn’t Amélie.

With a roll of her eyes, Sombra turned to face her. “Duh. Where do you _think_ we’re going, human?”

Lena scoffed. “Wouldn’t ‘av asked that if I’d known, would I?”

“We’re on the way back to the beach, I'd have thought that would be obvious,” the shorter mermaid bit back.

Before Lena could retaliate with a come back of her own, she felt a smooth hand grip her shoulder and give her a small squeeze. Turning her gaze back over her shoulder, she found Amélie shaking her head as if to say “leave it”. The last thing Lena wanted was to irritate either of them.

With a slight nod, she kept quiet and pushed on, speeding up to walk at the front as a lookout.

Once at end of the alleyway, Amélie stopped her and motioned for them to follow around the side of smithy, away from the food stalls and prying eyes. Lena breathed a sigh of relief as the long stretch of white sand came into view.

Lena smiled as her booted feet sunk into the blanket of sand beneath her, wishing she could take off her boots and feel the warm grains slip between her toes. The salty breeze whipped through her hair as she followed both mermaids to the end of the beach towards the rocky cliffside, finding herself being led to a cool, damp cove. She hesitated just outside the entrance, taking in the interior from where she stood. 

Salt water dripped from stalactites hanging from the jagged rocks above, moss and seaweed adorned the damp walls. By her feet lay abandoned bird nests, decorated with feathers, odd plastic bits of rubbish and guano. She kicked at the sand and brought her hands up to rub at her cold arms, finally feeling the cold as the sea spray left little droplets on her skin.

Her eyes flicked over to Amélie and she watched as the woman shrugged the heavy human off her shoulder, dropping him harshly in a heap at her feet on the wet sand, still unconscious. Lena wouldn’t admit it, but she wouldn’t have minded if the mermaid had dropped him on the rocks instead, and let him feel a little more pain when he woke up.

She peered over towards the shorter mermaid, watching her wince as she gingerly sat down and huddled herself in Amélie’s blanket wrap. Lena was pretty sure she could hear the woman swearing quietly under her breath as she assessed her injuries. 

An idea struck her and she slowly crept closer to the darker skinned woman. She still had her medi kit, didn't she? She usually packed it as a request from Angela. Perhaps she could help the mermaid. Lena reached into her overalls to make sure, relief flooding through her as her fingers brushed against the small, cold metal tin. She pulled it from her front pocket and held it out for the woman to take, once she was close enough.

Sombra just looked at her, eyeing the metal box in her hands suspiciously. “ _Si?”_

“Medical supplies,” Lena explained, and offered the tin. “Y’know, if you need ‘em.”

The woman stared at her incredulously. “Medical- and you think I... oh that’s _cute_.” she snorted. “Hey Amé, your _humano_ thinks I can’t heal myself.”

Lena lowered her outstretched arm and gave the taller mermaid a confused glance.

Amélie padded over and kneeled down next to darker skinned mermaid. She looked to Lena as she pointed towards Sombra’s cuts and bruises along her torso and wrists. “Mermaids have regenerative powers,” she explained, “as long as the injury isn’t _too_ severe, for example, a lost limb.”

Lena watched in amazement as the skin on the short mermaid wrists started to knit itself over the abrasions **,** and the bruises dulled in colour, making them look like week old injuries. Suddenly the medkit she held in her hand felt comical compared to this. Her cheeks warmed and she looked down at her feet. She gave a quick nod and shuffled back to the entrance, sitting down by herself, still a little embarrassed.

She flipped open the case and checked through its contents, finding large bandages, plasters, pain killers, and a small canister of disinfectant spray. After painfully peeling off her glove, she found the skin underneath angrily red and raised. Lena winced and turned her hand from side to side, checking it from more angles. It looked as though a sharp whip had cracked over her hand. She cringed, holding it out as she searched through the tin with her other hand.

“Nothing in there will help you.”

Lena jumped, causing the contents of her kit to spill across the sand. She huffed, glancing upwards to find Amélie standing by her side, an amused smile gracing her lips.

Without her noticing, the woman had managed to sneak up on her. She scrambled to pick up the dropped items, wiping off the sand with her overalls.

A pale blue hand stopped her, gripping her wrist in a gentle grasp. Lena raised a questioning eyebrow as Amélie lifted her hand up towards her face for inspection. She watched as the woman squinted and rubbed over the skin lightly with a single finger, making her flinch and look away.

Lena felt an odd, rough sensation stroke across her skin, and when she looked back, her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She watched Amélie hold her hand in both of her own as her deep purple tongue swiped across her knuckles tentatively. The cool muscle dipped in between each knuckle, leaving behind a wet trail with a slight numbing sensation. If Lena had to describe the feeling, she would have compared the rough texture to a cat's tongue, apart from it being chilly to the touch and purple.

Her cheeks warmed when Amélie stopped,  catching her her eye as her tongue darted out to glide across her plump purple lips, which Lena couldn't help but glance down at briefly.

“Hm… so it _does_ work after all.” the mermaid murmured to herself.

Lena blinked. “U-uh beggin’ your pardon?” She managed to stutter out, still watching the woman’s lips move.

“Mermaid saliva also has healing abilities,” Amélie explained nonchalantly, “I wasn’t sure it would work, with you being a human.” She studied the pink skin on Lena's hand and watched as the raised skin sunk, still leaving  behind a light pink mark across the knuckles. She frowned and ran a thumb over the wound. “You may experience some scarring, however.”

Lena caught her gaze and grinned widely. “S’alright, reckon it adds to my dangerous aura, heard girls are into that actually!”

Amelie gave her a long, searching look and Lena wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. Before she could begin to wonder what was going on through the mermaid's head, an exaggerated cough from behind interrupted the moment and the woman instantly dropped her hand. Both of them turned to find Sombra, looking unimpressed by their display.

“As... _charmingly, sea-sickeningly_ sweet as this is,” she drawled, “there's some unfinished business to tend to,” she finished, giving the man at her feet a quick nudge with her foot, rolling him over onto his back.

Lena had almost forgotten the human that Amélie had brought back with them. She crouched down next to him, eyes roving over his wrinkled face. “What’re we doin’ with this chap?” she asked, “is there a way to wake him rather than waiting?”

Amélie gave a quick glance to the shorter mermaid next to her. “I believe you have a way, yes?”

Sombra threw her a wicked grin and brought her hand up to wiggle her fingers. Lena noticed her short pink nails had grown into sharp, claw-like talons. “Mhm, I might.” she said with a wink. She crouched beside Lena and planted her nails against the man's temple.

“Wait! Shouldn't we... oh I don't know, tie him down or somethin’?” Lena asked, eyeing the mermaid's bright pink claws. To her surprise, the dark skinned woman chuckled.

“Oh, _arañita,_ this one is just _precious,”_ she cooed, booping Lena lightly on the nose with her fingernail. Lena frowned and covered her nose.

Sombra turned her attention back to the large human in front of her, once again placing two fingers against his temple. A bright green stream of light burst through her nails, flowing from underneath her skin. The green paint-like markings on her forearms, which had dulled since her transformation back at the lab now pulsed brightly as if flicked back on with a switch. Lena watched with wide eyes as the light slowly travelled across her veins, highlighting the scales as it left trails in its wake.

The man’s eyes groggily fluttered open and a groan escaped his lips as the green stream of light slipped under his skin, creeping lower down his face until it reached his jaw. His eyes snapped fully open as his whole body convulsed, jerking uncontrollably as his hands flew up to grasp at his neck. Sombra tutted as the man wheezed, kicking his legs and digging his heels into the sand.

He shrunk back as his eyes took in the dark skinned mermaid next to him, recognition passed over his features. “Y-you,” he choked out.

“Me,” Sombra replied simply.

The human made a grab for her, barely managing to reach an arm out before another convulsion passed through his body. He retched and looked at her with abject horror. "What -what the fuck did you do to me??" he gasped.

“Oh, nothing _immediately_ serious, just a small touch of venom. How fast you answer me determines how long you have to suffer.” Sombra grinned and ran her nails threateningly against his neck, delighted when he flinched. “Now, you and I are going to have a little _chat.”_

Lena slowly backed away, unable to watch much longer. The sound of gurgling and struggled screams followed her as she turned and hurried out of the cove. A shudder ran through her, which had nothing to do with the cool breeze tickling her face. She looked out towards the sea and inhaled deeply before exhaling a long sigh, silently wishing the slight uneasy feeling in her stomach would leave her.

She felt someone approach and peeked a glance, finding Amélie standing next to her silently. The mermaid hadn’t looked at her, instead choosing to gaze at the slowly sinking sunset in front of them. They stood there in comfortable silence, enjoying the last few rays of sun before it sunk beneath the waves.

“You shouldn’t have watched that,” Amélie sighed, finally breaking the silence. She crammed her hands into Lena’s leather jacket pockets awkwardly. _“Désolé.”_

Lena turned to face her, glimpsing her surprisingly apologetic expression. The mermaid actually seemed genuine.

She gave a small shrug in return. “Reckon he deserves it, yeah?”

The woman gave a short hum. “He did,” she agreed, “but it doesn’t mean you had to witness that. Sombra can be a little...” Amélie trailed off, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore drowning her quiet mumbling.

They stayed quiet for a few more moments, both of them silently enjoying having the company, until Lena realised how late it had gotten. Any glow from the sun had submerged beneath the calm sea as the sky was painted darker with each passing minute, and stars dotted the sky like white paint specks.

She sighed. "I should prolly’ head back to the ship. The crew'll be lookin' for me." Amelie hummed, and Lena tilted her head to look at her.

"Hey… could I visit you sometime maybe?"  
  
The mermaid seemed surprised. "You... would want to come back?" She asked, almost skeptically.

Lena smiled and shrugged. "S’pose. I like spendin' time with you."  
  
Amelie hummed again, and returned to watching the sea, a slight smile tugged at her lips. "You truly are an odd human, Lena Oxton."

Lena’s smile turned into a full blown grin. “Adds to my charm, don't y’think?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows. Her grin widened at the soft snort she received.

She rocked on her feet. "Well, guess that's me then. I'll be seein' you, Amélie."  
  
Amélie barely had a second to acknowledge her before a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, trapping her arms to her sides. Her eyes widened as she felt soft hair tickle her nose, the smell of leather and gunpowder filling her nostrils. She blinked rapidly as she slowly processed that the human was hugging her middle, squeezing her gently.

As quickly as the hug came, the arms around her quickly unraveled themselves and she watched as Lena blinked away, hopping over the jagged rocks.

Amélie noticed she still wore the human's leather jacket.

"Your jacket?" she called out, only to receive a wide grin in response.  
  
“Keep it for now!” Lena called back. “Gives me a reason to visit, eh?” she added with a short laugh.  
  
Amélie stood on the shore with a warm jacket wrapped around her shoulders, watching the bright light of Lena's accelerator recede in the distance as the woman dashed across the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Nox (Sheut) for pushing me to write and the help!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liiiiiive.
> 
> I'm so sorry for the delay on this chappy, I found it difficult to write mostly because it felt kinda "boring" to me. It's more of an interlude until I get to the good stuff, but important to the story. 
> 
> Oh and getting a girlfriend wasn't planned, she's very cute and distracting. :3

If Lena had thought getting back onto the ship would be a breeze, she was sorely mistaken.

She crept as quietly as she could, wincing as her boots crunched noisily over wooden planks. She kept to the shadows, rather than in the light of the lit torches along the harbour, the boards under her feet creaked and groaned under her weight as she tiptoed closer, coming up to the side of _The Bastion._

Why was it that _everything_ that made a noise ended up sounding significantly _louder_ when you're trying to be sneaky?

Lena hid behind a few barrels and scanned the deck, cursing under her breath once she saw a blonde haired figure conversing with another darker figure, Fareeha, she guessed, which made the blonde haired one Angela. She winced. Angie would kill her if she found her sneaking back on the ship after leaving earlier. She was hoping it would be deserted, a bit too hopeful if you'd ask anyone else.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be as easy as just strolling along and hopping over the ship's railings.

She silently backed away from the ship as she racked her brains to think of a better idea. Perhaps she could scale the side? It wouldn't be the first time, and certainly not the last time either.

If she could just get to her window and haul herself in, the ship's medic would be none the wiser.

Lena leant as far as she could and grasped onto a window ledge at the stern of the ship, making sure she had a good hold before pushing her feet from the walkway, propelling her whole body forward and attaching herself fully to the hull of _The Bastion._ She peered downwards, immediately regretting that action at the sight of nothing but inky black waves swirling and coiling against the ship below. 

"C'mon Lena. You've got this," she muttered to herself, wrenching her gaze away from the hypnotic sway of the water. She climbed her way across to the port side, arms already starting to ache as she gripped the side of the ship harder.

Her hands held onto one of the gun ports as she pulled herself higher, trying to keep her loud breathing to a minimum, worried that at any moment Angela could pop her head over the side and see her hanging there. She climbed a little higher, swaying back and forth with the ship as she held onto the grooves.

As she came closer to the outside of her room, she found her window, only it wasn't open like she'd hoped it would be. She let her fingers slide against the cool, metallic pane and tried prying it open but to no avail.

_Bollocks._

With a sigh, she pulled herself higher and peeked over the side, using her arms as  leverage. She saw the two figures, still chatting away about god knows what but thankfully, not so close to the hatch that lead to her quarters. Perhaps she could sneak past them both?

Lena hauled herself over the ship’s railings, falling to an ungraceful heap across the main deck, quickly launching herself behind a number of large wooden crates and making sure to tuck herself snugly against them, her back flush against the hardwood. She huffed out a deep breath as she poked her head around the side, noticing more stacks of cargo scattered across the deck.

An idea struck her.

Slowly but surely, she darted from crate to crate, careful to keep a watchful eye on the two women a short ways away. She sat with her back leaning against a box as she worked out where to jump to next. Without any more cargo crates to hide behind, she was in a bit of a pickle.

The hatch was right _there_ in front of her, If she could just-

“Where do you think _you’re_ going?” demanded a sharp voice next to her.

Lena tensed and slowly turned her head to the side, finding a pair of shiny black boots. She let her eyes wander upwards, past the black capri trousers and navy buttoned up waistcoat until her eyes finally rested upon the figure’s face, which looked absolutely _livid._

Lena shrank back against the crates. For how sweet and motherly the medic could be, she was sure terrifying sometimes.

Angela’s nostrils flared as she glared down at Lena before grabbing her by the ear, pulling her out from her excuse of a hiding place.

“Ow, _ow_ \- _christ,_ Angie, please!” Lena pleaded, stumbling along with the taller woman still gripping her ear.

The doctor ignored her plea. “Hours!” Angela started, “You were gone for _hours!”_

Lena’s eyes had started to water slightly from the burning sensation in her ear as she was spun around to face the ship’s medic. Behind the woman she could see the blacksmith, arms crossed and leaning against the mast, her expression a mix of amusement and concern.

She cupped her sore ear, avoiding Angela’s piercing gaze. “I didn't- I’m sorry I-”

The medic interrupted her. “Do you have any idea how long Fareeha and I searched for you?” she asked, gesturing towards the blacksmith, who awkwardly looked down and shuffled her feet. “Or how _worried_ I’ve been?” She added.

Lena thought she couldn’t feel any guiltier, but she did. Having Angela’s disappointed tone telling her off rather than her being angry was much worse. Angie was going full on mum mode and god, the _guilt_ she felt weighed down on her heavily.

She rubbed her bare arm sheepishly, quickly glancing at the medic’s face. “I’m sorry, Ange, but I had to follow her!” Lena blurted out before she could get interrupted any further. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth as her eyes darted over to Fareeha, who regarded her curiously.

The doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. “Leo, please tell me you didn’t follow who I _think_ you followed.”

Lena laughed nervously, which was quickly quelled after the glare Angela gave her.

_“Leo.”_

_“Angie.”_ she whined back.

 _“Mein gott,_ you absolute idiot.” the doctor groaned. “Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous that was? And-” she paused, squinting as she took in the engineers lack of clothing. “... Where is your jacket?”

A faint blush coloured Lena's cheeks and she was thankful for the lack of lanterns on the ship. She gave a halfhearted shrug. “She was cold!”

Angela just stared at her, blinking in disbelief.

Lena rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “Spur of the moment thing, I didn’t plan it I swear!”

Angela let out a wordless growl of frustration before stomping off and sitting heavily on a crate. She wordlessly pointed at another one in front of her, and Lena meekly followed the direction, massaging her smarting ear as she sat down. The doctor looked at her expectantly- arms crossed, fingers tapping against her forearm- which Lena took as an in invitation to explain herself.

If she'd thought Angela would be quiet for her explanation, she was wrong.

She adjusted herself on the wooden crate. “After I… uh-” she began.

“Sneaked out without a word?” The medic interjected.

She deserved that one.

Lena sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. _“_ After I was an _awful_ person and sneaked out without leaving a note. Yes.” She waved her off. “I met that mermaid again and she was singin’ the factory workers to sleep-”

Angela gave her a skeptical look. “And you were fine?”

Lena nodded. “It doesn't work on w-” she stopped suddenly, realising what she was about to say. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

The doctor raised an eyebrow. “Doesn't work on…? She prompted.

“I- it might be to do with this?” She wrapped her knuckles against the rim of her accelerator, causing a loud metal clanging noise to ring from under her shirt. “I don't know, she couldn't put me to sleep.” she shrugged, hoping it was a believable.

Angela looked at her skeptically, and Lena stared back with her most innocent look on her face. She mentally sighed in relief as Angela gave a small ‘hmph’ and gestured for her to continue.

“After she shoved me against a wall and threatened me-”

“What? You went from being threatened to giving her your favourite jacket?” the medic interrupted, giving Lena an incredulous look.

 _“_ Angie, I swear to God _._ Gimme a bloody chance and I'll get to it!”

The other woman pursed her lips disapprovingly, which Lena ignored.

 _“Anyway._ Met her again in the warehouse and room was a right state, shredded files, broken telly monitors, you name it!”

Lena went on to describe how her and the mermaid had found the trap door, leaving out the part about the human she'd let the woman take care of. Angie didn't need to know that part. The doctor's eyes widened the further she got with her story, and she resisted the urge to laugh. Any  more and the medic’s eyes would pop out of their sockets.

Once she'd got to what she'd seen in the underground lab, Angela couldn't stay quiet for much longer, and Lena didn't blame her.

Horror flashed across her features. “You found other mermaids down there?” She asked in an almost whisper, as if she could barely believe it. “What were they thinking…” she mumbled to herself.

“Wasn't pretty,” Lena agreed grimly. “They were strung up like puppets.”

Angela shuddered, shaking her head. “And then?”

At that point, Lena hesitated.

She wondered if she should tell Angela about what else had happened, how she'd found the darker skinned mermaid, Sombra, how she'd saved Amélie’s life a second time, or those details on the sea creatures that she'd accidentally read in that leather journal. Would it be wise? Lena had just managed to gain the mermaid's trust, surely telling another human of her secrets would raise suspicions.

Even if Angela _was_ trusted.

“That's it,” Lena told her with a shrug. “I helped her and that was that.” she paused for a long moment before adding, “oh, and she was cold at some point so y'know, me being the charming fellow I am, gave her my jacket.”

Lena didn't miss the narrowed eyes that glared in her direction. She tried her best to look as innocent as possible, hoping Angie wouldn't try to press her for more answers.

To her surprise, the medic sighed in resignation.

"I worry about you Leo. I hope you don't come to regret- "  
  
The sound of Fareeha clearing her throat cut Angela short. The two of them turned towards her in unison, shrinking slightly under the cool glare.

“I think you owe me an explanation, don't you?” She asked, directing her question to the both of them.

Lena gave her medic friend a quick glance before returning her gaze back to the blacksmith.

“How did you manage to get caught up with sea witches?” the woman questioned, jutting her chin in Lena's direction.

She opened her mouth ready to explain but to her surprise, Angela spoke up before she could get a word in.

“Leo saved one on the beach a couple of days ago,” Angela answered with a sniff. “He… had a theory about them, or at least, about this one in particular.”

She side eyed her engineer friend before adding, “I can't say I'm not also curious about them.”

Fareeha frowned _. “Saved_ one? Why? They cause nothing but trouble to us.”

“Only because humans are fucking with them.” Lena mumbled back under her breath, which the blacksmith heard.

“My mother didn't _fuck_ with those sea witches, and she lost her eye to one. Please forgive me if I seem a little less trustful towards them!” The darker woman snapped back.

Lena blinked as she slowly processed what Fareeha had just told her.

Ana Amari, famed blacksmith of Ilios, had lost her eye to a mermaid. When had this happened? And _why?_ Amélie had told her that mermaids only attacked if provoked. If she hadn’t messed with them, how had Amari Senior ended up in a tussle with one?

Lena had so many questions.

"What happened?" Lena asked cautiously.  
  
She shrunk back under the glare that followed, raising her hands in defense. "Sorry, sorry. Not my place to ask - an' I suppose not the time either."  
  
The apology seemed to placate the other woman slightly. Lena sat back and took a deep breath before launching herself into a retelling of her own story. She was thankful that Fareeha- unlike Angie- had listened silently, her eyebrows climbing higher and higher up her forehead as Lena neared the end, but otherwise saying nothing.

"And... that's that," Lena finished.  
  
The blacksmith was quiet for a long time, but the look on her face told Lena that she was mulling over everything she’d just heard. Her eyes narrowed slightly, darting over to Angela’s face before settling back on Lena’s.

“So, you didn’t know it was a mermaid before hand?” She asked finally.

“ _She._ And no, heard a lady screamin’ and it set off alarm bells.” Lena shrugged. “I didn’t think, I acted on instinct. You try walking away from a woman covered in netting, bein’ beaten to death by blokes three times her size. It was no picnic, mate.” she cringed visibly as she recalled back to her first meeting with Amé.

Fareeha hummed thoughtfully in response, regarding Lena curiously.

Before the woman could ask any more questions, Angela interjected.

“I know you are curious Fareeha, but it will have to wait,” she said, cutting in. “It _is_ getting late after all, your mother will be wondering where you are.” She added gently.

For a brief moment, the blacksmith looked like she wanted to protest before grudgingly agreeing with a quick nod. The doctor sauntered over to her, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips.

“Would you allow me to walk you home?” Angela asked hopefully, curling her hand around the woman's bicep to link arms with her.

Lena watched on, amused as the normally cool and calm blacksmith froze, her eyes wide with surprise as her gaze flicked down towards Angela's hand.

After a few seconds, Fareeha slowly nodded as her posture relaxed. She gave the medic a small, hesitant smile and gestured forward with her hand.

Angela glanced at Lena, and she nodded, scrambling to her feet and trailing slightly behind Angela and Fareeha as they walked down the docks and into the quiet streets of Illios. Comfortable silence surrounded them, and before long they stopped in front of the old smithy.

"See you tomorrow?" Fareeha asked Angela with a hopeful smile.  
  
Angela furrowed her brows. "Hmm. I'm supposed to help Leo out with the ship tomorrow.” Fareeha's face fell slightly, and Lena felt a flash of guilt run through her.  
  
"Ang. Angie, I'll do it," she offered. “I can run maintenance by myself.”  
  
"Are you sure?" Angela asked in surprise.  
  
"Course! Don't even worry about it,” she waved her off. “Feel like I owe you one after I buggered off this morning," she added sheepishly.  
  
With a satisfied hum, Fareeha turned to open the door, only to be beaten by a white blur ghosting past the window. A weathered face with a shock of white hair greeted the party, and Lena sucked in a short breath as she took in the worn, black eyepatch covering the woman's right eye.

Ana Amari.

“It’s about time you-” the older woman had started, only stop as she took in the younger blacksmith’s company. “ah, Dr. Ziegler! A pleasure to see you again!”

Ana gave the medic her warmest smile as she took her hand between both of her own.

“The pleasure is all mine, Ana,” she replied, returning the smile.

“My ‘reeha does keep some interesting company, will you be staying over?” She asked, ignoring the jerky headshakes from Fareeha behind Angela.

Lena almost snorted out aloud, barely hiding her snigger from Angie.

“We’d have loved to, sadly it's getting a little late and we have an early start tomorrow. Another time, perhaps?”

Ana nodded in understanding, patting her hand lightly. “Of course, we are always open so please, feel free to pop in for a chat.”

Fareeha edged her way through the open door with a quick “good night”. Before Ana followed, she caught Lena’s eye. “That goes for you too,” she said with a small smile. “I have plenty of stories that would interest you, I’m sure.”

Lena’s eyes widened a fraction, flicking to the woman’s eyepatch before returning to her uncovered eye - an action that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the older blacksmith. Before she could ask, Ana nodded and turned on her heel, closing the door behind her with a quiet snap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, thank you Nox for putting up with my shit and telling me to write!


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning had Lena awake at the crack of dawn and up on the front deck, counting supplies for trade and making a list of items she'd need to pick up from the smithy. It was just a small list, full of items such as nuts and bolts, spare weapon parts, and half of Reinhardt's weapon order.

Lena had jumped to the chance of visiting the smithy again. Their Captain had barely finished asking before she'd stepped in to offer, trying to act nonchalant at the peculiar look he'd given her. Lena’s overeagerness hadn't gone unnoticed by Angela either. She'd felt those narrowed eyes glaring suspiciously in her direction.

She knew better than to look back and check.

Once happy with her list, she took off for the smithy, list in hand and a coin pouch jingling happily in her front pocket with each step.

To her surprise, Fareeha could be seen outside of the blacksmith's shop, donning a dirty black apron as she hammered a piece of white hot metal against an anvil. As Lena approached, the younger blacksmith wiped her sweaty forehead against the back of her hand - leaving black marks against her dark skin - and lifted her gaze towards the engineer, nodding her hello. 

Lena gave a quick nod in return. “Wasn't expecting to see you up this early,” she commented.

Fareeha raised an eyebrow with a snort. “Just because time stops for _you,_ doesn't mean it stops for me,” she replied, bringing down the hammer once more, creating sparks from the still glowing steel.

Lena rolled her eyes in response. “Yeah, yeah. Is your mum in?” she asked, waving the short list she'd written earlier in between them.

Without replying, Fareeha gestured towards the door which Lena took as an invitation to go right in.

Inside was just as hot as the first time she entered, feeling the heat radiating in waves from the large furnace at the centre of the room. She peered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the the older Amari. Her eyes landed on the desk, finding a small golden service bell resting on the dark wooden surface. Next to it was a small iron plaque with the words, ' _Please ring for assistance_ ’ carved into the metal.

Lena reached out a hand and tapped the small button twice, creating a loud ringing noise which echoed around the large room. She strained her ears for any noises, hearing shuffling from the floor above.

“One moment please!” A voice rang out, followed by heavy thuds as two wrapped packages crashed to the floor. Lena blinked, watching in amusement as Ana climbed down the ladder and with an impressive show of strength, hoisted one of the large bundles onto her shoulder.  
  
“Ah, good morning Leo,” Ana smiled kindly as she caught sight of Lena. “Are you here for the order from _The Bastion_?”

“You were expecting me?”

The blacksmith hummed, “Rein called ahead, wanted to make sure you would get here in one piece it seemed.” She smiled as Lena rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

Ana shuffled closer, shifting the weight of the large package to her other shoulder while she bent down to pick up the other off the floor. Lena rushed forward to help, which was quickly waved off with a snort.

“You youngsters don't give me enough credit, I didn't survive the war by relying on others you know,” she stated proudly as moved past Lena and hoisted the brown paper covered box on the desk before taking the list from between her fingertips.

She looked back to find Lena, still standing there, mouth agape. “Well don’t just stand there, dear, sit and make yourself comfortable while I gather your order.”

Lena did as she was told, sitting gingerly on the edge of an old wooden chair behind the service desk. Next to her sat a heavy wooden crate with the initials ‘R.W’ stamped across the top in bold red cursive, which she guessed would be for Reinhardt. She glanced up at the old woman, who was now sorting through packets and boxes for the items on her list.

Her eyes swept across Ana’s face, only now noticing how worn the poor woman looked; a few small scars littered her tired face, and yet her eyes - _eye -_ appeared so sharp and wise. She realised with a snort that Ana would probably deck her one if the woman knew what she was thinking, calling her worn and tired. She let her gaze zoom in on the leather eye-patch that rested against Ana’s cheek bone before looking down at her hands. Would it be rude to stare? Or to ask her about it? Lena didn’t want to piss the blacksmith off.

She chanced another glance, peeking through her lashes to find Ana looking at her, slightly amused.

“Ask away dear, I don't mind.”

Lena flushed and looked down at her twisting fingers in embarrassment. "Sorry, don't mean to be rude.”

Ana chuckled softly. "You are not the first one to be curious, and I doubt you'll be the last.”  
  
“Alright..." Lena looked up again, avoiding looking at the eyepatch, "Fareeha told me you lost your eye to a mermaid, I was just curious."  
  
"Ahhh," Ana murmured with a touch of sadness, reaching up to trace the edges of the leather patch with her fingers, "it is a price paid for human arrogance, child - a costly one.”

Lena squirmed in her seat but remained silent, giving the woman her full attention as she continued.

Ana pushed the heavy box that she'd be rummaging in aside before resting her elbows against the desk. “It was many years ago, perhaps before you were even born. I was young and foolish.”

“My father was taken by the war, leaving me to fend for myself as well as taking care of my mother. Years later I joined the very same war in which he died, in hopes that his sacrifice would not be in vain.”

Ana smiled sadly. “Not long after, my mother died, and I was required to join the fleet along with several others. None of us really knew what we would be facing. None of us could have known what was to come.”

“We sailed for days, kept the nets out as requested but for what, we still weren't sure,” she sighed, “until… one of our nets caught something.”

 “A _mermaid_ ,” she finished for dramatic effect.

 Lena edged closer, barely touching the chair as she became engrossed with the blacksmith's story.

The older Amari peered down at her. “As you can imagine, I was shocked. A real mermaid, caught in our net? Preposterous. And yet, she was real, from her porcelain skin and wild flaming hair down to her shiny black tail.”

Ana's eye seemed to glaze over as she carried on. “It was dark and I was on patrol, I could hear her crying out, writhing and slapping her tail against the cold bark of the ship.”

She blinked a few times, shaking away the haze that clouded her vision. “After seeing her strapped to the ship, I figured killing her was the logical solution, and yet… I hesitated.”

So, Ana had hesitated just like she had? Lena frowned but kept quiet.

“She looked absolutely _terrified_ of me, her eyes darted so fast between my face and my sword. I couldn't do it,” she admitted, “seeing her struggle and panic in a net while I was clearly at the advantage didn't feel honourable.”

“It was foolish- _I_ was foolish, and it could have easily been a trap but cutting her free was the only thing that felt right in that moment.”

Ana smiled sadly at Lena. “I paid the price, of course. As I was cutting, I failed to notice another mermaid getting closer,” she told her, tapping a single finger against her patch. “I remember hearing a shriek and seeing a spiky, deep purple tail before my vision blacked. I woke up much later on a hospital bed with a bandage wrapped tightly around my head,” she finished with a small shrug.

Lena’s eyes widened a fraction before resuming a more neutral expression.

“Anyway,” Ana continued, “What’s done is done, and I paid the price,” she said, slowly lifting the patch from her eye. Lena winced at the angry pink claw marks that scarred from woman’s cheekbone, right up to her eyebrow, and the empty socket where her eye once resided.

“I don’t hold grudges, life is too short.” She tugged the flap back down and smiled. “I assume the one who attacked me thought I was about to kill the other,” she told Lena as she rifled through the box once more, pulling out a few clear packets which held spare parts for ship maintenance.

The blacksmith wandered over to where Lena sat and lifted the lid of the wooden crate, slipping the little packages inside before sealing it tight and handing it over, accepting the coin pouch from Lena's outstretched hand with a thanks.

Just before Lena managed to lift the crate and stumble through the door, Ana called over to her, “Oh, and Leo? Do be careful, won't you?”

 

* * *

 

After leaving the smithy, Lena had plenty of time to go over what Ana had told her. More specifically, what she meant by being careful. What _did_ she mean? And what'd she know? Had Fareeha told her about Amélie? It wasn’t much of a surprise… but she had hoped the younger blacksmith could have kept the secret to herself.

Lena sighed, adjusting the heavy crate in her arms as she stumbled her way back to the ship. Rein was there to greet her, looking a little too obviously relieved as she set the box down on the main deck. He probably thought she’d wander off again and get into trouble. She gave him a small wave and a smile before wrenching open the crate lid and getting to work with maintenance.

It was slow work, checking every crook and nanny of the ship for holes and loose screws. Lena thanked the stars that Lúcio was around to help her this time, and with his help, they scoured the ship in record time - making the necessary fixes needed, oiling up any hinges, and finishing off with giving the deck a clean lick of paint.

Painting was her favourite part, just a quick coat of protection over the mast and railings did the trick against any water damage. Behind her, Lúcio had started whistling a tune she knew quite well, a song she’d heard him sing several times; Good Morning Ladies. It brought a smile to her face, seeing her friend enjoying himself.

It was popular among sailors, Lena had learnt the song soon after she joined the crew from Lúcio himself, after he’d insisted that it was an initiation. He’d taken the time to write down the song lyrics on pieces of parchment for her to read at night, and it was nice to finally be able to join in and sing along with the rest of the crew. 

Lena was by no means bad at singing, far from it. It happened to be one of her very hidden talents that no one would assume she was any good at. So she sang, not thinking about how high her voice sounded, and to her surprise she was praised for it. Angela had told her she sounded very sweet, and Lúcio had said she had ‘a good set of lungs’, which she assumed was a good thing.

She started to hum, which slowly turned into muttering a few words under her breath, then to quietly singing to herself - catching Lúcio’s attention.

“Aw, yeah! Get it, Lena!” He whooped, tapping his hands against the railings where the paint had dried, creating a beat for her.

She grinned, not caring about Lúcio’s use of her real name. Apart from Winston - and well, now Amélie, Lúcio was one of the few that knew about her being a woman. After a quick look around the ship, she noticed they appeared to be alone anyway.

**_“We are outward bound for Kingston town,_ **

**_With a heave-o, haul!_ _  
_**

**_And we'll heave the old wheel round and r-”_ **

If she hadn’t been facing back out to sea, painting, she would have missed the dark purple tail flicker over the surface, a couple yards from the ship before it submerged under the calm waves. Lena blinked, squinting harder between the railings at the surface for any signs. When she found none, she kept singing and resumed her painting.

Her ears perked up at the sound of splashing water, and when she looked back it was to find a head bobbing over the waves, closer to the ship this time. The first thing she noticed was her eyes - more than two and rather than the gold she was expecting-, these were red in colour, and dotted over the woman’s forehead. Lena was relieved to find her other eyes were still the sharp golden colour. Inky purple hair framed the pale blue face - that she’d become so used to -, and half covering her fanned out ears. Her pouty lips held a smirk as she swam closer, all eyes on Lena.

Lena scrambled to her feet and leant over the railings for a better look, and her face lit up with a grin once she realised who it was. She immediately picked up her singing, louder this time.

**_“Them girls down south are free and gay,_ **

**_With a heave-o, haul!_ _  
_**

**_With them we'll spend our hard-earned pay”_** she sang, swinging from the rope ladder with a grin.

“-GOOD MORNING LADIES ALL!” she finished, directing the last verse to Amélie, giving her a cheesy wink.

What she wasn't expecting was the splash of water to hit her squarely in the face, making her cough and splutter. She rubbed the water and her drenched hair free from her eyes in time to see Amélie sniggering behind her hand, before pointing at her, then motioning towards the beach.

Lena huffed, cocking her head to the side slightly. She wanted her to follow? Amélie motioned again, this time more vigorously which Lena took as a yes.

She tossed a quick apologetic look to Lúcio, to which he gave her the thumbs up. “I’ve gotcha covered, don’t stay out too long though, right?”

Lena laughed, handing him the bucket and brush before dashing towards the harbour. “Wouldn’t dream of it!” she called back over her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhh It's been a while, had a big case of writer's block and didn't write anything for a solid month. I think I'm over it now so hopefully, I'll get things cracking with faster updates!
> 
> Thanks to Nox (Sheut) and Levi (twoheartedalien) for making me feel guilty for not updating, it _half_ helped xD
> 
> Next chapter will be a good treat, gonna include some art from a commission I got from my lovely girlfriend <3
> 
> You can find the song that Lena sings [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqIzXIKuMjQ)!


	16. Chapter 16

The wind rushed through Lena's unruly hair as she sprinted swiftly towards the beach, careful not to use up too many of her blinks as she neared her destination. Once she'd hit the sand, her movements became more sluggish as she trudged over the uneven sand hills. She peered around for any signs of Amélie, last seeing her keeping to the shallow waters.

Lena made her way over to the rock pools for a higher view point, hoping to get a glimpse of the other woman. Had it been the beach she was signalling to? Now Lena wasn't so sure.

Before she'd even thought of turning back towards the ship, the sound of trickling water reached her ears and she looked down at her feet to find Amélie, arms crossed over the rocky structure with her chin resting over the top and a small smile at the corner of her lips.

“ _Salut_ , Lena.”

Lena realised this was the first- or second if she counted seeing her from the ship- time she'd seen Amélie in her mermaid form, so she took her time looking over every detail of the other woman's features.

The six blood red eyes scattered across her forehead that Lena had seen before now looked softer, despite the colour. They looked lazily at her, almost as if relaxed. On her temples, silvery scales glittered from the sun's reflection in the water, and her golden eyes appeared sharper in colour as they watched her like a hawk. Her long, dark hair was released from its high ponytail to flow over her shoulders and float in the water behind her. Black, spiky, spider-like legs grew from her back, bending and twitching above the waves, dripping with water. Amélie’s skin still held the pale blue hue, which slowly bled into purple further down her waist, over the ridges on her ribs, until it reached her tail.

She stopped and craned her head further to the side to get a closer look. Amélie’s tail was by far the most interesting new feature she’d seen, deep purple in colour with black patterns. It was spiky from what little she could see under the water, and held no tail fins. From the way it curled itself, Lena thought it looked similar to a seahorse's tail.

“Wow-” Lena breathed out before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth, horrified as Amélie’s smile turned into more of a smirk.

Lena sat cross legged and leaned closer, never taking her eyes off of Amélie. She glanced at the woman’s tail again- which curled and uncurled itself under the waves-, then to Amélie’s face, whose eyes narrowed curiously at Lena.

“You’ve got a beautiful tail, love,” Lena told her earnestly, “can I…?” she trailed off, hoping Amélie would get the message.

Amélie regarded her cautiously. “Can you…?” she prompted.

Lena bit her lip nervously and mumbled, “Can I t- see?” she asked, and then again a little more loudly after the questioning look on Amélie’s face, “Can I see your tail?”

The mermaid raised an arched eyebrow at the request but complied. Amélie placed both of her palms on the rocky surface and pushed herself up and out of the sea. Water cascaded down her body, droplets dripped from her wet hair as she pulled her tail from under the waves, and swiveled her body to sit herself next to Lena, before flopping her tail right into Lena's lap.

Lena squeaked, not expecting the sudden weight to fall over her legs. She felt her clothes begin to dampen as the water from Amélie’s tail seeped through her dungarees. Not that she cared enough to shove her off, however. Lena squinted and looked more closely, finally able to fully appreciate what she couldn't see underwater.

She was right about the similarities to a seahorse tail, noticing the little spikes and ridges along the edges, and the lack of tail fins. The colour almost darkened to black the further down her tail, blending from the deep purple and light blue of her waist, with dots of white scattered around like constellations of stars.

Lena felt the end of the mermaid’s tail curl idly around her thigh and she smiled, reaching out with a hand to touch before drawing it back shyly. Her cheeks pinked as she glanced to Amélie.

“May I?” she asked, pointing to her tail.

Amélie looked taken aback at Lena’s next request, as well as her hopeful expression and hesitance. Never had she had a _request_ to touch her tail before. She’d been grabbed without permission but never asked if it would be okay. She stared long and hard into Lena’s eyes, searching for any ulterior motives or malice hidden beneath her sincerity. When she found none, she nodded, keeping her eyes on Lena’s hands as they slowly lowered until they rested lightly over her tail.

Lena gushed in delight. “Gosh, your tail is so pretty!” she exclaimed, rubbing over the scales gently with her palms. She was careful not to make any sudden movements, knowing the mermaid was watching her cautiously. She let her fingers trail themselves along the swirly black patterns that adorned Amélie’s tail and over the small ridges at the edges until she felt the tail twitch underneath her hands.

Immediately Lena pulled back, horrified. “Oh bollocks, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!” she panicked, holding her hands away from Amélie’s tail as she threw her a glance. She wasn’t expecting the mermaid to look so confused by her reaction, nor was she expecting her to stare in disbelief before the smallest of smiles lightened her features.

“Foolish girl.” Amélie shook her head, though her words held no bite and the smile on her face did not drop.  
  
She nodded towards her tail, and Lena took that as a sign to continue her exploration.

Lena lowered her hands back down to Amélie’s tail, marvelling at the feel of the scales under her fingertips. They felt less rubbery than she imagined, a little harder and smoother than she expected. She gently thumbed the curl of her tail before it came flying up to meet her face, slapping her right across the cheek.

Lena yelped and her hand flew up to cover her stinging cheek. She jerked back to look at Amélie, who stared back at her in alarm, mouth open and cheeks tinged with purple.

Before Amélie could say anything, Lena heard another splash of water in front of them, looking down to find the mermaid she'd helped Amélie find a few days before. The woman flipped her hair from her face, stopping abruptly as she took in the sight of Lena and Amélie in a compromising position.

She gave them both with a wry smile. “Well well, what do we have here…”

Amélie fixed her with a glare, eyes narrowed as she lifted her tail from Lena's lap and back under the water. “It isn't what you think.”

Sombra snorted, unfazed by the look she was receiving. “Is it not? Gabe? Gabriel! Hurry up and get up here!” she called over her shoulder.

Not long after, Lena watched as bubbles formed next to the woman before another head rose to the surface. She looked over the newcomer, noticing that most of his front was white, which blended into darker skin at his sides and back. Under the surface, Lena could just about see his white, rubbery skin fading into black at his waist and right down to his tail. White rubbery patches circled his black eyes, which looked Lena up and down, unimpressed.

“Hmph. So, this is the human you mentioned,” he stated, his voice low and gravelly as he scratched his bearded chin, “doesn’t look like much.”

Lena stopped rubbing her cheek and frowned at him. “Hey-”

Sombra interrupted her with a snort, “Don’t mind him, papi gets a little protective over-”

Amélie raised a hand, effectively cutting her off. “Enough. What are you both doing here?”

“Straight to business? Aw, no fun, Amé,” the darker mermaid pouted. “I did a bit of digging, remember? Got a new lead on Satya.”

“They’ve got her locked up on an island, just off the coast of Ilios in a well hidden cove,” she told her, eyes darkening. When Amélie remained silent, she continued, “They’ve been experimenting, just like the facility you got me out of.”

Amélie frowned. “How many men? It must be bad, since you have not gone in headfirst and rescued her yourself.”

Sombra and Gabe shared a look before Sombra turned back to face Amélie. “It's bad, Ami. It's worse than when Gérard-”  
  
“Have you got a plan?” Amélie interrupted her before Sombra could finish her sentence, making Lena frown slightly.

Sombra winced. “Sort of? We need a distraction, so I'm going to let myself get noticed and-”  
  
Gabriel cut her off with a glare. “We've been over this Sombra. There's no point in staging a rescue if we have to come rescue _you_ right after.”  
  
“Gabi-”  
  
“I'll do it.” Three - or if she counted all of Amélie’s, six - sets of eyes snapped towards Lena, and she shrank back slightly before repeating herself clearly. “I'll distract them. I can nab a boat and pose as one of them, they won't suspect a thing! And you'll have a way to get Satya out if she can't swim herself.”  
  
“No.” Amélie's scowled, glaring at Sombra and Gabriel as though daring them to counter her. A slight touch to her shoulder made her look back at Lena, sincere, serious brown eyes locking with her own.  
  
“Amélie, please let me help. It'll be in and out - before they'll even know it!”

Still scowling, Amélie scoffed. “And then what, we have to rescue _you_ afterwards?”

Lena snorted, “Nah, with this thing?” she rapped her knuckles against the brass accelerator on her chest. “Nobody’ll catch me with this.”

Her gaze softened but only slightly as she glanced at the hand on her shoulder then back to Lena's face. “I don't like this. This is not your fight to begin with.”

“Well I’m making it my fight,” Lena replied firmly, turning to face Sombra and Gabe. “When do we set out?”

Sombra gaped at Lena, opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish. If the conversation wasn’t so serious, Lena would have found it amusing. She clearly hadn’t been expecting Lena to be so forward, or determined.

The mermaid got her bearings, narrowing her eyes at Lena. “That depends. How soon can you acquire a ship?”

Lena thought about that; first she needed to figure out _how_ she would get a brand new ship to borrow. Second, she needed to plan how she would sneak out to get it. But she was determined to help Amélie in any way she could. There were plenty of ships docked at the harbour that she could choose from, most of which weren’t occupied after dark. If Lena managed to sneak out, take her pick from the ships available, sail out and rescue the captured mermaid, sail back and tie it back up at the dock, it’d be an easy breeze!

“Tonight,” she responded, “I can grab some supplies and meet you down by the docks?”

Sombra and Gabe shared a silent exchange before she nodded, placing a hand over his arm. “That’s settled the-”

“We’re doing this _tonight?”_ Amélie exclaimed. “Ombre, we don’t even have a plan!” she burst out.

“In case you hadn't noticed, we don't have much time left, araña. Who know’s what they’re doing to her? I won’t sit back any longer, knowing my bondmate is being tortured.” Sombra growled. With a parting glare, the mermaid turned her back on them both and dived under beneath the surface, creating a large enough splash that the saltwater sprayed in their direction.

Gabriel sighed. “I’ll talk to her,” he grumbled under his breath. His curious eyes swept over to Lena, giving her a quick nod in thanks before turning his own back and diving in after Sombra, leaving nothing but ripples behind him.

Silence hung between them as Lena watched the ripples spread over the shallow water. She turned to Amélie, finding her slipping back into the water, tail first. Their eyes met but before the mermaid could open her mouth, Lena placed a single finger against Amélie’s lips.

“Shush. I'm coming along, I can help.” she interjected. Ignoring the glare she received in return and the swipe towards her hand. “Fat chance that they’ll do me in, they'll have to catch me first!”

The silence stretched between them until Lena leaned closer, enough that Amélie had to look at her. “Hey, I’ll be fine,” she told her sincerely.

“I don’t _care_.” Amélie scoffed. Her words cut painfully, but Lena couldn’t help but notice that they lacked their usual bite.

“Course you don’t, you wouldn’t have protested earlier otherwise,” Lena grinned, tilting her head. That earned her an unimpressed scowl. Lena made to get up, leaning further towards Amélie to swiftly kiss her soft cheek.

 “For luck!” she said, still grinning widely as she scampered off back towards the ship, missing the bewildered expression on Amélie’s face, wide eyes staring after her, and the return of her purple cheeks.

 

* * *

 

 

Once Lena had sprinted her way back to the ship, she immediately went straight for her cabin with the intention of grabbing a few essentials for the small trip, greeting Lúcio who was sitting on a barrel by the mast, still singing.

As soon as she got below deck, she fetched a decently sized satchel from underneath the desk and set it on the bed, before moving around the room in search of essentials she would need. Inside she packed snacks, a full hip flask, a small map and compass. She turned to her desk and rummaged through the drawers, finding the pocket knife Angela had given her, a small lantern and a pack of matches. After packing those and swinging the satchel over her shoulder, her eyes caught onto something large and lumpy sticking through the peephole by her desk that she hadn’t noticed before.

Cautiously, Lena stepped forward and poked the squishy object before tugging it free, instantly recognising it as her leather jacket. She happily shrugged it over her shoulders and held it to her chest, frowning when she felt something hard inside one of the pockets. She reached into the pocket and pulled out a flat shell, orange in colour, with an engraved ‘ _Thank you’_ on the underside in cursive handwriting. Lena smiled, rubbing a thumb over the carvings before pocketing it again.

After dawdling for an hour or so, Lena slipped through the door of her cabin and out onto the deck of the ship. Darkness greeted her as she crept down the harbour, unable to see much without the usually lit torches that were scattered about. She let the bright blue light from her accelerator light her path as she made her way through the empty stalls and passed the smithy, pausing to peep through the windows but finding just darkness. Light shone from the upstairs window, which Lena assumed meant that Ana had called it a day and retired for the evening.

Further along the harbour, warm cozy lighting filtered through the windows of the tavern.

Muffled singing rang through the walls, drunken lyrics spilling out with the doors opening before being pulled back in as they closed. Lena laughed when a particularly vulgar song started to play as she ran past, only to run smack bang into two bodies leaving the pub.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry, I-” she started, abruptly stopping once she realised who it was.

Angela strolled arm in arm with Fareeha, the blacksmith’s jacket draped over her shoulders as they exited the pub doors.

“Leo? Where do you think you’re going?”

“I... Angie! Just... just out for a run, nice... night for it innit?” She laughed nervously.  
  
Angela's unamused look made it _very_ clear that she didn't buy Lena's stuttered excuse for even a moment. “Leo.”  
  
“Nowhere!”  
  
Angela raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Y'see there’s this cove where they’re keeping one of ‘em and I kindasortapromisedtohelpthemout, it’s not a big deal! Just in ‘n out and I’m just there to talk to them and look pretty and distracting - I’ll be back before morning!”

Angela gave her a look that screamed ‘ _I'm not mad, just very, very disappointed’,_ and Lena couldn't help but feel that it was as bad as if she'd just tossed a sack of puppies overboard.

“I - they... I know you told me to keep my distance but they're not bad people... people? Merpeople Angie, she's really nice and... oh god I _kissed_ her, _shit_. Look, they just wanna get their friend out and it's a lot of those pricks they're going up against but it's the right thing Ang, I can't not help - and it's just gonna be a sneaky in an out, promise! They won’t even notice that the ships missing!”  
  
“Ship?”  
  
Lena panicked, shrinking back. “Not _The_ _Bastion_ _!_  Just ... maybe borrow one that belonged to those wankers, they’re probably not gonna miss it much an’ it’ll be back before they know it!”  
  
Angela was silent for a couple of seconds, as if thinking over Lena's words. “Did the mermaid talk you into this?”  
  
“What? No! Amélie didn’t even want me to go!”

Angela stared at her in silence once more, making Lena worry that she'd be tied to the mast on _The Bastion_ again to stop her from going. The first time, her and Lúcio had got tied to the mast as a punishment for playing sea-urchin chicken, a winner determined by whoever could place the most urchins in their hands and on their face. The ship's medic hadn't been impressed by them both turning up outside her cabin, in pain with faces and hands full of spikes.

Lena waited with bated breath as Angela closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Finally she sighed and gestured in front of her.

“Well? Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Two chapters in two weeks? _What????_ I'm hoping this means the urge to write is back at least! I'm enjoying it after the break I've had :) 
> 
> And art! Check these guys out!
> 
> First three arts are done by my beautiful girlfriend, and you can finally see how they all look!  
> [Check out Maddie's art tag here](http://atheris-art.tumblr.com/tagged/art)
> 
> Fourth art is done by this lovely dork, whose Tracer art gave me life!  
> [ Check out Oat's art tag here ](http://oatsie.tumblr.com/search/macedoodles)
> 
> Thank you both for your beautiful art! I love you <3
> 
> Thank you Nox for beta reading! And _thank you for helping me sort these images because I'm like an old lady with technology apparently. >:|_


	17. Grand Theft Boat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like a double chapter, almost 4k long! Hopefully it makes up for the long wait between this and the last chapter!

Out of all the things that Lena had expected to happen tonight, Angela and Fareeha willingly helping her wasn’t one of them. She couldn’t help glancing back over her shoulder, expecting to see them both disappear every time she looked.

Their mission tonight, which Lena had tactfully named ‘Grand Theft Boat’, much to Angela’s eye rolling, would be a simple one, _if_ there were no complications along the way. Complications being a) All the ships were occupied, b) They got caught in the process of stealing one. Lena crept ahead and scoped out the harbour, already seeing a few ships with the lights extinguished. Early night or empty? Lena wasn’t sure.

“What exactly is it that we’re looking for?” Angela whispered behind her, prompting Lena to peer over her shoulder.

“With any luck, an empty ship I can hijack,” Lena muttered back. She stopped in her tracks suddenly, holding a hand behind herself to stop the other two walking into her.

“Wait,” she murmured.

Crouching behind a stack of old crates, Lena scanned the surrounding area, seeing shadowy figures retiring back to their ships. She watched as some of them drunkenly stumbled over the sand and along the boardwalk. Next to her, Fareeha popped her head over the crates for a better look until Lena swiftly pushed it back down with a small glare.

“Stop that!” she whispered, receiving an annoyed ‘hmph’ in response.

She peeked over the wooden boxes, watching as a few rowdy sailors stopped just outside one of the unlit ships, and with a sudden realisation, she recognised them as the ones who'd trapped Amélie in that net a few days ago. She scowled, looking from them to the ship and back again.

Lena turned back to face the other two. “I want that one,” she whispered, pointing to the smallest ship of the bunch.

Angela took one look and groaned, seeing the men standing in front of it. “The most difficult to borrow, and you want it. Why that one specifically?”

“See those dickheads?” She asked, pointing towards the burly fishermen. “They trapped Amélie and beat her. I’m getting my own back.”

“Leo, this isn’t some _game-_ ”

“I’m aware, Angie,” Lena interrupted irritably. “I’m not bringing the ship back either, since they use it for catching mermaids.”

Angela looked ready to say something, but surprised Lena with staying quiet and nodding.

Lena watched the men go about their business for a minute before speaking up again. “Reckon you could distract them for me?”  
  
Angela gave her a bewildered look. “Me? How?”  
  
“Y’know, just go over an’ be all pretty like, maybe pretend you're lost? They'll probably eat that right up.”  
  
“Leo- _fine,_ ” she replied with a sigh. Slowly, she slipped around the boxes covering their hiding place and made her way over, nervously looking back over her shoulder before getting closer.

Lena watched as Angela began to strike up a conversation with one of them and saw the other two get closer.

She turned and spoke over her shoulder. “Fareeha, I need you to-” she stopped, realising the woman wasn't there.

Lena frowned. “Fareeha…?” she whispered into the darkness behind her, not hearing a reply.

She cursed, head snapping back to check on Angela, who was backing away slowly from the men looming over her. Lena crouched, readying herself to jump in when a resounding series of thuds sounded across the dock over the sound of waves, and the three sailors dropped like sacks of potatoes to the ground.  
  
Fareeha grinned at Angela, leaning smugly on what Lena recognised to be a rowboat oar. She jogged over, giving Fareeha an awed look.  
  
"That had no right being as hot as you made it look."  
  
"Leo-"  
  
Lena held up her hands with a grin, backing away towards the ship. "I'm going, I'm going! Ta for the help Angie and 'Ree, I owe you a bunch."

She took off with a wave, scaling the side of the small ship with a cheeky "Alright, Mum!" in response to Angie's worried _be careful!_

 

* * *

 

 

Once she was undocked from the harbour and out on the open ocean, Lena rummaged around in her satchel for the map, compass and lantern she’d packed. She hung the lantern on the ridge of the wheel and opened the parchment, smoothing it out over the helm as she tried her best to figure out the directions.

A light bump caused the ship to lurch from side to side, making her lose her footing and drop the mini compass she held. She watched in horror as it rolled down the steps and through one of the ship's porthole, getting lost beneath the calm waves.

Lena leaned forward and banged her head against the wheel, closing her eyes with a long sigh. After a few moments of calm breathing, she lifted her head and looked at the sky. The only way she could get to her destination now would be to use the stars to guide her.

The clearing of a throat made her jump in alarm and whirl around, not expecting to find Amélie perched just behind her on a stack of crates, dripping salt water all over the wooden deck. She hadn’t heard the mermaid approach in all the time her eyes had been closed. In her hand was the small compass that Lena had dropped. She held it between her forefinger and thumb as she inspected it curiously.

“You know,” Amélie began, fiddling with the device between her fingers as she watched the small red needle whirl around the edges, “it’s wise not to lose the object guiding your path.” she finished, throwing the compass in her direction.

Lena rolled her eyes, rushing forward to catch it. “S’not like I planned it, love. Was about to use the stars instead but uh, ta for bringing it back all the same.”

Amélie hummed in response, uncrossing her legs as she got up from her seat to make her way over. She gently placed her hand over Lena’s that gripped onto the wheel and turned it slightly to the left. “You’re going too far west,” she informed.

Lena glanced down at their hands, noticing how Amélie’s smooth fingers slipped between her own and lingered there for a few moments before releasing her hand.

A faint blush rose over her freckled cheeks as she muttered out a quick _thank you,_ and busied herself with the map and compass to hide her face from the mermaid’s view.

After a few minutes of silence, Lena looked up to see Amélie watching the sky, almost longingly as her eyes darted all over the scattered stars above them.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lena commented, nodding towards the sky as Amélie looked at her with a confused expression.

“Oh, yes. Very much so,” the mermaid replied, eyes lingering a little longer on Lena’s face before resuming her star gazing. “The light shapes are fascinating.”

It took a few moments for Lena to realise that she meant the stars patterns. “Do you know much about constellations?”

Amélie shook her head. “Not as much as I would like to.”

“I could show you, if you’d like?”

“Are we not pressed for time?” Amélie questioned, eyebrow raised.

Lena shrugged. “We’ve got at least an hour to kill before we get close.”

The mermaid nodded slowly, thinking it over. “Then show me.”

Lena lightened up tremendously as she listed off the many constellations to Amélie, who found it endearing to see how it brightened her face. She watched her with a small smile as Lena use her hands to explain and draw shapes with her fingers, noticing how her shyness seemed to ebb away once she’d started to ramble on about the stars.

"And that one is... well, it’s not a _named_ constellation, but it's on your tail. It's very pretty."

Amélie hummed as her eyes scanned over the constellation, noticing that it did in fact look exactly like the pattern on her tail.

A splash and a thump drew their attention away from the sky and down on the main deck. Lena peered over the wheel to find Sombra pushing herself up and over the side of the ship, pulling her tail over after her as she flopped on the deck.

“Ugh, this boat is so _slow.”_ She complained. “We could have swam there in _half_ the time it took this piece of junk to sail there.”

Sombra waited until her tail evaporated into mist, and her legs to appear as she grabbed ahold of the mast to steady herself. “Amé, I need you with me, we’re getting closer.”

Amélie nodded, leaving her perch near the helm to go and give the other mermaid a hand. She led Sombra back to the edge and helped her over the railings, watching her dive head first under the waves. With one last smile to Lena, Amélie dived in after her, plunging under the water.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Amélie was under the waves, she let out a relieved sigh, feeling the water wash over her drying skin as she blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the darker lighting. She glanced around, quickly finding Sombra from her pink glowing tendrils flowing below her. She swam over to join her, stretching out her tail and the claws on her back.

“How are you holding up?” she asked once closer.

“I’m _fine._ ” Sombra snapped sharply, making the lower half of her body glow brighter, dangerously.

Amélie nodded awkwardly and swam by her side under the boat, quietly. The awkward silence stretched on for a couple of minutes before Sombra mumbled an apology.

“Sorry...” she started, “I’m just worried. My bondmate could be dead for all we know and this _stupid boat is slow_.”

Before Amélie could so much as open her mouth, Sombra continued. “You don’t _really_ know what it’s like, you don't have a bondmate… _yet._ ”

Amélie raised an eyebrow as Sombra looked at her. “What?”

Sombra jerked her head upwards in the direction of the ship above them. “You and that human. You _like_ her, don’t you?”

“Don’t be ridicul-”

“ _Amé,_ ” She interrupted sharply, “I know you, you look at her the same way you looked at-”

“ _Sombra.”_ Amélie warned.

Sombra ignored her and pushed on. “The point is, I don't want you ending up all mopey and alone.”

Amélie wrinkled her nose. “That doesn't-”

“It _does_ matter. Amélie, you have to let what happened to you go!”

“Could _you_ move on?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” she answered honestly, “but I know Satya wouldn’t want me feeling sorry for myself.”

Amélie remained quiet as they swam alongside each other, thinking over the conversation. Deep down, she knew that Sombra was right, and that putting the past behind her would be best.

But could she?

Any more thoughts would have to wait as they came closer to their destination. Sombra held out an arm in front of her, stopping her from going further as she noticed mesh netting dotted around the area. They both watched as Lena’s ship easily cut through the nets, pushing them aside enough for both of them to squeeze through.

Amélie strained her fanned ears as they entered the cove, listening for anything above the surface. Very faintly she could hear Lena’s muffled tones among a few gruffly deeper voices. Slowly and quietly, she let her face break through the surface, head bobbing above the water just enough for her to take a peek.

Ships lined the docks as well as floated in the deeper waters, wooden huts stood scattered along the small harbour, and a large building that looked oddly new compared to the rest. Numerous nets littered the water with bite alarm sensors attached to the edges. She sank back below the waves to find Sombra waiting for her assessment.

“The water is covered in nets, so be careful,” she warned, “and there’s a strange building amongst the huts which looks new.”

Sombra raised an eyebrow at the mention of the odd building, but nodded and gestured for her to follow.

The two mermaids swam silently a little ways from the ship, now that Lena had the fishermen distracted. They swam carefully, darting through the maze of netting as they got closer to the shore.

Once close enough, Amélie took another peek above the water level to check the coast was clear. She let her eyes sweep the area, relieved to find no humans hanging around. Sombra followed suit, crawling her way through the sand in the shallows and lifting her tendrils out of the water.

After both women waited a short amount of time for their tails to disappear, they made their way quietly through the small island village.

Amélie glanced at the oddly empty catwalks in front of them with unease. "Where do we go from here, Sombra?"  
  
Much to her dismay, Sombra looked just as confused. "I... don't know. Gabi said he'd meet us here and lead us to the place they're keeping her but..."

Sombra stopped in her tracks, eyeing an oddly placed stack of nets next to them. She soon understood why as she looked closer, finding a human hand protruding from under the edge.

Amélie sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Really, Gabe?” she muttered to herself. She made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat as she bent down to tuck the hand under the cover, and away from view.

Despite the gravitas of the situation, Sombra's lips curled up into a small smile at the sight. “Poor Gabi. He's not nearly as stealthy as he _thinks_ he is.”

Amélie scoffed and pushed on. At least they knew they were going in the right direction.

They made their way along the docks, following the trail and hiding the unconscious human bodies as they went. Gabe greeted them near a clump of bushes, close to the entrance of the new building.

“What took you both so long?” He growled deeply. Annoyance radiated from his stiff posture as he glared at the both of them.

Sombra threw him a look. “Would have been faster if we weren't cleaning up your messes, Gabi.” she replied flatly.

Gabriel grunted, ignoring Sombra quip and nodding his head in the direction of the building. “Trail stops here, Satya should be inside.”

Sombra elbowed her way in front of them both. “Then what are we waiting for? Come on, let’s go already!”

 

* * *

 

Once inside the facility, Amélie’s nose stung from the putrid smell of rotting fish, and she shuddered from the cold air inside. Icy fog clouded around them, which swept to the side as they walked through it. Her breath came out in small puffs of air, steaming instantly and rising in front of her face.

She couldn’t help but feel uneasy over how simple it had been to get inside. No security measures had been put in place, not even a locked door. She wondered if it had been simply because of the location, and how difficult it would be for an outsider with no information find this cove.  

Not that any security would have stopped them, but compared to the lab that Sombra had been kept in, this felt like an easy breeze, making her feel more cautious with every step she took.

They rounded another corner, coming across a heavy steel door with a number pad attached at the side. Sombra stepped up and tapped the screen with a long, pink fingernail.

“First bit of security I’ve seen in this place,” she commented, “you’d think they’d have guards at least.” 

Amélie watched as a purple glow emitted from Sombra’s fingers, seeping like liquid into the electrical device on the wall through her fingernails. Sparks flew from the buttons as it short circuited, and the door swung open with a silent click.

Once they had confirmation that the room was empty, the trio quietly filed in, Amélie and Gabriel exchanging a worried look as Sombra marched forward in silence.

The inside of the room felt like a freezer, and even Amélie felt pinpricks of cold burrowing through her skin, right down to her bones. Her eyes stung as bright white lights assaulted her vision, and the strong smell of bleach mixed with fish filled her nostrils. Her nose wrinkled as she took in her surroundings.

Large tanks, similar to the one Sombra had been kept in stood in rows around the spacious lab. The walls were painted a bright white and the floor was lined completely in cold white tiles. Amélie glanced around, noticing dangerous looking medical tools hanging from each wall, computer screens showing charts and statistics that she couldn’t read, and small hospital beds covered in white sheets that lined the back wall.

As they made their way further into the room, she covered her mouth in horror as her eyes landed on a dark figure hanging from one of the clean tanks.

Satya hung from chains like a puppet, and a metal collar kept her suspended over a water tank by her slim neck. Her arm dangled limply by her side, cut, bruised, and completely shredded to pieces. Her normally dark skin had dried to a dull grey colour, and her black hair - which had become oxygen deprived - lay draped over her shoulder lifelessly.

“Dios mio…”  
  
Sombra ignored Gabriel's whispered swear and walked forward, almost as if in a trance, coming to a stop in front of the tank. Amélie watched as Sombra brought her own left arm up, placing her palm against the cold glass as agitated, angry bursts of light shot through her skin.  
  
“Sombra-”  
  
“I will kill them. _All_ of them.”  
  
The cold, quiet anger sent a chill shooting through Amélie's spine, even as she moved to gently touch Sombra's shoulder. She stopped part way, hand hovering with uncertainty as she watched Sombra's own claw into the filthy glass, leaving white scratch marks behind as it did.  
  
“And we will help you,” Gabriel said quietly, as he walked up to stand beside Sombra. “But for now, your bondmate - Satya - needs your help.”  
  
A few moments of silence passed before Sombra nodded jerkily, finally forcing herself to turn away from the macabre sight in front of her.

 

* * *

 

Together, they'd managed to work out the mechanism to open Satya’s glass cage safely, rather than Gabriel’s idea to smash it. As soon as the glass lifted, Sombra had reached forward to rip the collar from her neck, and break the chains holding her as if they were paper. Amélie noticed a flash of pain cross the shorter mermaid's features as her bondmate fell lifelessly into her arms. Angry purple bursts of light shot briefly through her veins as she pulled her bondmate from the glass prison.

Gabriel rushed forward to help, gathering Satya up in his arms as Sombra brushed the dry hair from her face. Amélie looked closer, eyes falling on the woman's sunken cheeks and droopy eyelids.

“She needs water, and fast,” she told them, turning her nose up at the tank water, “not _that_ water. I don't trust it.”

Sombra nodded, letting go so that Gabriel could carry her more easily as they made for the exit.

Amélie went first, checking the coast was clear as Sombra hung back with Gabriel. She glanced back, feeling pity as she noticed Sombra had taken Satya's hand in a vice grip.

“Hey! What the fuck? Hey, I need help over here!”

Amélie looked in the direction of the sound and swore. Glancing back for those few seconds had distracted her from the path. Quickly, she signalled for the other two to follow quietly as she crept forward. Her eyes landed on two large humans, both crouched down beside a bunch of crates, looking at something she couldn’t quite see.

She listened closely as the humans mumbled amongst themselves, managing to catch a few words as they spoke. She heard the words ‘knocked out cold’, and it dawned on her that they must have found one of the bodies Gabriel had left behind. Silently, she guided the other two around the other side of the crates, hoping the fishermen wouldn’t look up and notice them sneaking past.

Her blood ran cold as a large barrel crashed behind her, and she whirled around to find Gabriel trying to adjust Satya in his arms. She winced, slowly turning back to find both humans looking in their direction. They looked shocked for a few seconds, eyes wide and mouths gaping open, clearly not expecting to see three merpeople sneaking out of the facility.

Amélie watched as one of them raised a shaky hand and pointed in their direction. Before she could rush forward and stop him, the man took a deep breath and screamed.

“MERMAIDS! SOUND THE ALARMS!”

Amélie panicked, realising that seemed to get the whole cove’s attention as all heads swivelled in their direction.

“Sombra, Gabe, get into the water, _now! Go!”_ Amélie ordered, pushing them forward.

She could hear alarm bells ringing close by, and Lena yelling for them to get out of there as they waded through the shallows. The cannons on Lena’s ship blasted, ripping through as many buildings and ships that she managed to aim at. Screams and gunshots rang in her ears before she sank under the waves.

The water muffled the loud noises assaulting her sensitive ears, drowning out each one and dulling them to a low grumble. She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the salty water before swimming to catch up to the others ahead of her.

Bullets whizzed past as the pirates took random shots at the water, nets and harpoons were blindly thrown in their direction, some narrowly missing her as she darted between the nets and bite alarms that were scattered along the seabed.

She slowed down as she cleared the cove, the freshwater of the sea helping calm her nerves. Any moment now, Lena should -

Her thoughts were cut off as she heard a loud, resounding but muffled boom, feeling vibrations through her whole body as the shockwaves shook her to the core. She spun around to see Lena’s ship toppled over to one side, slowly sinking under the crashing waves. Splinters of wood and cargo piles sunk slowly to the bottom as the shattered mast sank.

As the ship keeled over, Amélie could see the full damage of the other side. Large holes had burnt into the side, completely splitting apart the starboard side. Chunks of wood crumbled away as the ship descended.

Amélie’s eyes darted, searching frantically for Lena amongst the shattered wood pieces. Her gaze landed on a flash of blue flickering amongst the debris, solidifying into a very unconscious Lena. She threw all caution to the wind and swam back as fast as she could, shrugging off the debris that hit her on the way.

Her heart sank as she reached Lena, her limbs were limp and her eyes were shut as she sank. Deep cuts and angry burns littered her arms and neck, and a her hair appeared singed in places. A massive crack had split down the center of the device that she kept strapped on her chest.

Lena flickered under her hands, each time flashing a bright blue. She reached up to touch the cracked accelerator on the woman's chest, then higher to check her neck for a pulse. Relief flooded through her as she found a pulse, albeit a very weak one.

Amélie gathered Lena in her arms and swam away from the wreckage of the sinking ship, propelling them both towards the surface.

Once she emerged from the water, Amélie took another look at Lena, lifting her eyelids and placing a hand against the woman's chest, searching for a heartbeat. When there was no response from the human, she panicked.

Amelie placed the palm of her hand against Lena's cold, bruised cheek, leaning in and pressing her forehead to Lena's ever so briefly before capturing her lips with her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Nox for beta reading, and for the chapter name :D


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait after that cliffhanger, hope I didn't leave you guys waiting for too long... >:3c

A bright white light hung overhead, swinging back and forth from the sway of the ship. Lena tried to lift a hand up to shield her face, wincing as the muscles in her arm and shoulder ached. She groaned, wriggling her limbs to test them out. The pain made her grit her teeth in an effort to stop herself from crying out, but at least she could _feel_ it.

Lena tried to open her groggy eyes, feeling them droop heavily back down. Her throat felt bone dry as she swallowed, and her brain thumped dully against her skull. She attempted speech, hearing her words come out quiet and raspy.

She heard rustling to her left before a voice spoke, and it wasn’t one that she was expecting.

“Good morning, sunshine. I’m surprised it took you _this_ long to wake up, especially after being kissed.” The voice drawled with an amused edge to it.

She heard more rustling as they got closer, before feeling a single finger prodding her nose. “Oy, time to wake up.”

“Ugh, sod off,” Lena groaned, trying to weakly swipe away the hand in her face.

“Sombra, leave the poor human alone,” another female voice murmured quietly.

“Am...?”

“She is outside, on the beach.” The voice softened. “She hasn't left your side till now. I told her to go and get some fresh air.”

Lena groaned, gripping the sheets as she tried to sit up against the pillows behind her. She’d barely managed to move an inch before a hand over her shoulder gently pushed her back down.

“Hey, you need your rest. Amélie will be back later but for now, you shouldn’t strain yourself too hard.”

Lena sighed, sinking back against the pillows. She attempted to open her eyes again, blinking the sleep away as they adjusted to the light.

To her left she found Sombra, sitting beside the bed next to hers, which was occupied by a dark skinned, raven haired woman she’d never seen before.

“It is nice to see you awake,” the woman smiled from her bed. “I am Satya. We thank you for helping us.”

_Oh._

“The plan worked?” Lena asked, racking her brain to remember.

Sombra shrugged. “Eh, sort of. Blowing up the whole cove wasn’t in the plan, but it was definitely a nice touch,” she smirked.

“I did that…?”

Sombra eyed her curiously. “What do you remember exactly?”

Lena thought back to the ship and the get away, trying to barter with the pirates and hearing guns go off. Apart from that, she wasn’t sure. She shook her head, giving a small shrug.

A metal object shined in the light from the corner of her eye, making her glance in the direction. Where she’d expected to find some of Angela’s tools, she instead found a prosthetic arm laid across a metal side table. The arm was covered in dark metal sheets, bolted down and moulded to form a muscular limb. Golden cogs turned and whirred silently under the surface and between openings.

Her wide eyes then caught sight of the bloody bandages wrapped tightly around Satya’s shoulder, and her lack of limb.

She could see them both waiting expectantly for questioning, but before she could ask, the door to the medbay swung open to reveal Angela, who was without her lab coat and clipboard. Lena supposed she wanted to look less intimidating to earn trust.

“Ah, Leo! You’re finally awake,” she exclaimed, rushing over to her bed. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“M’alright, Angie. Just a bit sore,” Lena replied with a grimace.

The medic rolled her eyes. “‘A bit’, he says. Leo, you got blown up! And your accelerator has seen better days.” she added, pointing towards the broken device on her bedside table.

_Her accelerator!_

Lena panicked and lay her hand flat against her chest, relief flooding through her as she felt new, smaller casing resting over her heart.

“Winston worked day and night on a new one for you,” Angela explained, glancing down at the device. “It’s lucky he has the tools to keep you in the present time while he built a new one, otherwise…” she trailed off.

Lena shuddered, not wanting to think of how long she’d be stuck in limbo for.

Angela cleared her throat and carried on. “He also said I couldn’t give you any physical check ups because of your stability,” she said, reaching a hand out to tap her fingernail against Lena’s accelerator. Lena flinched as her hand came dangerously close to her binding wrap.

The medic hadn’t notice her flinch, and her hand suddenly landed over her chest, pressing down gently.

She watched anxiously as Angela paused, confusion marring her features. Lena yelped as the woman squeezed and saw the confusion on her face evaporate, leaving behind a mixture of shock and embarrassment. She pulled her hand back quickly as the pieces clicked together.

“Leo, you’re- _Mein gott,_ I am _so_ sorry I-” Angela stuttered, struggling not to trip over her words.

Lena would have found the situation funny if she hadn’t been hiding it from the medic for months. She hesitated, slowly peering up at Angela’s face.

“It’s fine, Ang-” she paused, “you’re not angry,” she stated, noticing Angie's blushing face.

There was a moment of silence, broken by Sombra, sniggering in the background. A quiet smack made the mermaid yelp, breaking the uncomfortable tension between Lena and Angela.

“Of course I'm not,” Angela smiled hesitantly, “it all just makes more sense now.”

Lena raised an eyebrow, prompting Angela to continue. “The higher pitch to your voice, the reason why you wouldn’t let me have a closer look at your accelerator, and why a mermaid’s song doesn’t work on you.”

Before Lena could ask, Angela raised a hand to shush her. “Yes, I know about the song. How do you think we got you and your friends in here? Only the Captain and Lu knows, everyone else thinks it’s just _you_ recovering in here.”

“Rein knows?”

Angela nodded in confirmation. “He is… wary, but trusts our judgement.”

Lena nodded slowly, taking it in. She knew her captain held prejudices against mermaids, so to hear that he trusted her and Angie was a surprise. She felt a large wave of respect for the man.

There was a long silence between them, filled only with the quiet murmurs from the mermaids in the neighbouring bed. Lena felt a hand over hers, glancing down to see Angela’s hand, resting on her own. After a few quiet moments, Angela squeezed her hand gently and spoke.  

“If you don’t mind my asking, Leo… why exactly did you hide yourself?” the medic asked curiously. “Do you prefer being seen as male?”

Lena shook her head and looked down at their hands once more. “Not exactly… I was afraid of being rejected,” she answered honestly, looking up to her face.

Angela gave her a confused look. “But I’m-”

“I know, this was before I knew you were here,” she shrugged. “I was bullied on my last ship for being a woman, I just- I didn’t want this time to be the same, Ange.”

Lena appreciated that instead of asking her what happened, Angela simply nodded in understanding before reaching over to wrap her up in a gentle hug.

She pulled back after a few minutes and squeezed her shoulder. “You're here now,” she soothed.

“I do have one more question for you,” she told her, giving Lena a reassuring smile to calm her nerves. “I just wanted to know if you have a preferred name to go by.”

That took Lena by surprise. Of all the questions, that was the last thing she'd expected Angela to ask her.

“My real name is Lena… but I'd get it if-”

Angela interrupted her mid sentence. “Then I'll call you Lena.”

Lena glanced up and gave her a genuine smile. “Cheers, Angie.”

The medic returned her smile before pulling on a pair of gloves.  
  
“Do you think you can shuffle over to the edge for me?”  
  
Lena nodded, wincing as she moved gingerly to the side of the bed.  
  
“I want you to let me know if anything hurts too much,” Angela told her, before gently lifting Lena's arm above her head. She hissed in pain, drawing a concerned look from Angela. Lena shook her head. “It's fine, just a bit sore is all.”  
  
Angie clicked her tongue sympathetically, letting Lena lower her arm. She lightly pressed her fingertips along a deep cut on Lena's neck, watching her face carefully for any signs of pain.

“This will scar,” she said apologetically.  
  
“S'fine Angie,” Lena grinned up at her, “Ladies love scars anyways - ow!”  
  
Lena gave her a wounded look as Angela rolled her eyes. “Whatever are we to do with you Leo - Lena? I need to examine your back, do you think you could take your shirt off?”  
  
Lena nodded, taking the shirt off with some difficulty before she shifted slightly to present her back to Angela, leaving her facing Sombra.

Sombra gave her a smirk around the fish tail sticking out of her mouth, pulling it out and tossing it on a plate beside her before leaning forward.  
  
“So,” she drawled, “have to say, Amé doesn't have that bad taste.”  
  
Lena's cheeks coloured and she glared at the mermaid. “Oh piss off.”

The medic failed to hide her smile as she applied pressure to the wounds on Lena's back.

Angela frowned at the odd assortment of blue and purple marks that littered the skin on Lena's back, rubbing over them lightly with her fingers. She squinted, just about able to see the white specs dotted in between the splotches.

“Odd… these marks are not raised or swollen,” she murmured to herself. “Lena, does this hurt?” She asked, prodding at the bruise-like markings.

Lena shook her head as Angela dug her fingers into her back, not feeling any differences. “Nothing… why, what's on my back?”

Angela shook her head, confused. “I'm not quite sure,” she told her honestly, “bruises, perhaps? What an odd pattern…” she said, more to herself.

Lena flinched as she felt a cold disc glide against her skin. She peered over her shoulder to find Angela with a frown on her face, pressing a stethoscope to different areas on her back.

She pulled the earpieces of the stethoscope out and placed them around her neck. “Your lungs sound remarkably clear for someone who almost drowned.”  
  
“Oh, that'll be Amélie’s doing, since they're soul bonded,” Sombra piped up.  
  
Lena blinked for a few seconds as she processed what the mermaid had said. “You what?”  
  
Sombra raised an eyebrow. “The kiss you shared? Keep up, human.”  
  
Lena gaped, her mind struggling to catch up with the conversation through the haze. "What?"  
  
_"Dios mio,"_ Sombra rolled her eyes before leaning forward in amusement. "You know, when people really like each other, or in Amé's case, are a little bit stupid-"  
  
_"Sombra."_ Satya cut her off with an exasperated sigh, causing her to look at her bondmate with a wounded look.  
  
"What? C'mon, it was at least the littlest bit stupid." At Satya's glare, Sombra wilted a little. "Fine," she said, drawing out the word in a whine before turning back to face Lena. "Turn your hand over, chica."  
  
Lena frowned, looking at the thin white scar over her knuckles "Remember how that healed?" Sombra asked, not waiting for a response before continuing, "Mermaids are, in simple human terms, magical. She kissed you, and now you are bonded. So you live."  
  
"Wait. She _kissed_ me?"  
  
Sombra lifted an eyebrow. "Would you rather have died?"  
  
"She kissed me!" Lena repeated with wide eyed wonder.  
  
"All the fish in the world, and Amé falls for this gay disaster. Typical." Sombra snorted.

“Listen closely, Lena,” Satya cautioned. “A mermaid's kiss is not lightly given. It is a bond for life. Amélie was able to save your life by binding herself to you through a kiss-”

“A _mermaid_ kissed me… bloody _hell-_ ” Lena murmured to herself, marvelling as she rubbed at her bottom lip.

Sombra rolled her eyes and clicked her fingers in Lena’s face, forcing her to focus.“ Her soul is bound to yours, and yours in turn is bound to hers.”

Lena sat in stunned silence, mouth agape. After a few moments, she spoke up. “So… what exactly does that mean…?”

Sombra shrugged slightly. “It’s different with each partner, so you’ll have to figure that out yourselves,” she told Lena, squinting at her face. “I can see her eye colour is blended into yours, you’ve got flecks of gold in your irises.”

“It’s… unusual for a mermaid to bond with a human, but I think you know that already,” Sombra carried on with a frown. “Gabi is the only one I know of, personally.”

Lena did a double take. “ _Gabriel_?” she asked again, unsure if she’d heard correctly. Sombra nodded, amused at her reaction. 

“Mhm, his bondmate Jack set him free from poachers a few years ago, that’s how they met.”  

Of all the mermaids, Gabriel was the _last_ one she’d expect to be in a bonded relationship with a human.

“What traits do they share?” Lena asked curiously.

Sombra leaned back in her chair and lifted her gaze above Lena’s head. “The ones that I can remember… Jack can breathe underwater, has an extended lifespan, which is common,” she listed off on her fingers. “He’s also got markings on his body, similar to Gabe's.”

Lena spaced out as Sombra gave more examples of shared traits. She knew she should be listening, but a part of her was still awestruck that Amélie had chosen her. _Her!_ A chicken legged ball of timey wimey mess! A sharp poke to her arm brought her out of her daydream, and she focused on Sombra's amused face, trying to get the butterflies in her stomach to settle down.  
  
"At least she's bonded to someone who's as much a fool as she is," Sombra noted wryly. "But," she continued more seriously, fixing Lena with a hard look, "hurt her, or betray her trust, and I'll kill you myself."  
  
Lena nodded fervently. "I would never."  
  
Sombra stared for a moment longer before sitting back with a nod.

"With that out of the way, lemme give you some tips on how to make mermaids feel real good _, if you know what I mean,”_ she grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.  
  
"Sombra."  
  
"Can't let her be a disappointment to Amé, Satya. Listen up speedy, Satya _really_ likes it when I use my fingers to-"  
  
_"Sombra!"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Nox for being a big help and beta! 
> 
> Nox - Last Friday at 19:39  
> if there are mermaids  
> are there mermaid equivalents of steeds  
> and if so  
> what does amelie ride
> 
> ZeroInvador - Last Friday at 19:40  
> ... sea horse?  
> Oh hmm
> 
> Nox - Last Friday at 19:40  
> have you seen those, they're tiny
> 
> ZeroInvador - Last Friday at 19:40  
> Shhhh
> 
> Nox - Last Friday at 19:40  
> no offense but you'd squish the poor thing
> 
> ZeroInvador - Last Friday at 19:40  
> They ride... Idk dolphins
> 
> Nox - Last Friday at 19:41  
> Dolphins aren't that extra tho, this is widow we're talking about  
> Fucken rides a great white and scares the shit out of lena
> 
> ZeroInvador - Last Friday at 19:41  
> LOL  
> Absolutely yes
> 
> Nox - Last Friday at 19:43  
> "'is name is George, and 'e is beautiful."
> 
> "Amelie that is a great. white."
> 
> "Oui."
> 
> "He's showing me his teeth."
> 
> "'E is just excited to meet you."
> 
> "He is excited for me to meet his intestines."
> 
> "Don't be silly, come pet him on the nose."
> 
> "HE SNAPPED AT ME!"
> 
> "He wanted to say hello. Come now cherie, don't be so difficult."
> 
> ZeroInvador - Last Friday at 19:48  
> Oh my god
> 
> ^^^ How most of our conversations go.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the sweet gayness in this chapter, I think it's long overdue ^v^"

After a few days of much needed rest, Lena had recovered almost completely. The cuts and bruises on her body had smoothed over into small white scars, and what appeared to be week old marks.

Angela was been astonished over how fast her healing process had changed. She'd visited each day to check over her injuries, jotting down notes and stats for her progress.

Lena had just smiled as she watched Angela mumble under her breath about how “impossible” it was, grinning wider as the medic’s eyebrows traveled further up her forehead.

Getting out of bed had been a little strenuous at first. While her injuries looked weeks old, the aches in her body pulled and stretched as she used her muscles to swing herself from the bed.

Lena glanced at the empty bed in front of her as she washed and got dressed slowly. Satya and Sombra had left two days before, taking the crafted metal arm with them.

She sighed moodily. Since they’d left, it’d been quiet and boring being stuck in that room by herself. More than once, Angela had caught her trying to sneak out before healing enough. After the third attempt, Lena knew not to push Angela further after being threatened that she’d be chained to the bed. She didn't want to experience _that_ again.

The third time, Angela had sighed and given her a look. “Really, Lena?” She’d asked with a disappointed look on her face. “Do you want me to tie you up again?”

“Angieeee I'm booooored!” Lena whinged from her bed, giving Angela the best puppy dog eyes that she could, but to no avail. She stopped trying to escape after that - the last time Angela had made good on her word, despite blushing fiercely when Lena gave her a cheeky “Didn't know you were into bondage, love!” as she was being tied down with a heavy coil of rope from the deck.

Her thoughts wandered to Amélie, and what she could be doing. She hadn’t seen the mermaid since the mission they’d embarked on, leaving her a tad hurt that perhaps the woman didn’t care. Sombra at least had been there to reassure her on a quick visit that “Amé is awkward and getting used to the change, it isn’t personal.” She’d told her. All Lena could do was sigh and accept it, even if it did little to reassure her.

After pulling on her dungarees and boots, she went on to tighten the bolts for her new accelerator casing, over her clothing this time. She’d left the binding wraps in the bedside table, enjoying the free feeling while also feeling naked without it. She covered her chest with a hand as she looked in the small mirror on the far wall, next to a bunch of health posters. She shuffled over to get a better look.

Her face and neck had mostly healed, bar a few small white scars that littered her skin. The more noticeable ones lay over her bottom lip, and another across the bridge of her nose. She poked and prodded them, feeling no pain but noticing the skin felt smoother. She squinted at the marks and sighed, pushing away from the mirror and making her way out of Angela’s quarters.

Lena’s stony mood lifted as she climbed above deck. After being cooped up for a few days below, the change of scenery and fresh air was welcome.

She managed to slip off of the ship without drawing attention. Thankfully, most of the crew were either too busy to notice, or off trading down at the market. She hobbled a little towards the beach, finding it difficult to properly walk over the uneven sand hills.

Lena looked up from where she’d been watching her step, eyes instantly locking onto the slender figure of a woman, sitting near the rock pools. She moved faster, coming to a stop just before the rocks.

Amélie sat on the rocks, leaning back on her hands with her eyes closed. Her tail flicked under the water as she enjoyed the sun, a small smile lifting her lips.

Lena watched in awe as Amélie’s pretty tail created ripples above the calm waves, and how the silvery scales on her skin reflected the sunlight.

She looked so peaceful as she basked in the warmth that Lena almost felt guilty as she approached closer, tipping the mermaid off that she was no longer alone. Narrowed eyes flicked to her direction, softening once realising it was her.

There was a moment of silence as they simply looked at each other, before Amélie sighed and lowered her gaze. Without looking, she patted the rocks next to her as an invitation for Lena to sit, which she took without hesitation.

Lena sat with her knees to her chest, resting her chin over her crossed arms as she waited for Amélie to say something. The silence stretched with nothing but the sounds of the sea licking over the jagged rocks. She looked off to the horizon, seeing in the corner of her eye that the mermaid had turned towards her.

“I am sorry,” Amélie murmured finally.

Lena frowned, turning her head sideways. “What for?”

“For not visiting. I should have, I- you’re my...” she trailed off quietly.

“Bondmate, I know,” Lena finished, noticing the rising panic on Amélie’s face. “Sombra told me…”

“I... _désolée_ , Lena. You were drowning and I thought -”

Lena took Amélie's hand in her own, her gentle grasp silencing Amélie's stuttered apologies. “Thank you,” she said earnestly, her fingers lightly entwining with Amélie's, “Sombra told me what that means for you. Thank you, _so much_.”

Amélie nodded jerkily, and a stretch of silence passed between them. “I…” Lena began, trailing off before finding her courage again, “We can go at your pace, love. As much or as little as you want.” She gave a small crooked smile at Amélie's shocked expression. “And if you don't want anything to do with me, just say the word and I'll bugger off.”  
  
“You are... taking this rather well. Do you understand what you are offering me?” Amélie asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes.  
  
Lena shrugged and sat back, leaning on her free hand and looking out into the horizon. “You risked your life - and now your soul for me, Amélie. Plus, I _like_ you.” She looked back towards the mermaid with earnest eyes. “But soul bound or not, I want _you_ to have a choice.”

Amélie glanced down at their entwined fingers and heaved a sigh. “You are kind, Lena. From your offer, I can tell I made the right choice this time.”

Lena raised an eyebrow. “This time? Was there someone else…?” She noticed Amélie stiffen and her hand twitch, giving it a light squeeze with her own.

The mermaid gave a short nod. “Gérard,” she answered stiffly. “Had he asked me, I would have given him whatever he wanted. I thought he cared. I was a _fool_.”

A haunted look cast upon her face. “It was dark when they attacked. A group of men, armed to the teeth with hooks and harpoons. I fought, but even the strength of a mermaid loses out to sheer numbers. When I later came to consciousness, I was bound - not unlike how we found Sombra. In those hours, I thought that he would come to my rescue.” She laughed bitterly.

“And come he did - but not as my saviour. I watched as he walked past me with a large bag of coins in his hand - my bounty, I suppose. Never did the coward even _look_ at me once.” she finished with a grimace.

Lena's fingers tightened their grip around her own, and Amélie looked up to see a fierce expression on Lena's face, her eyes hard and cold.

“That absolute _bastard,_ ” she seethed, “You trusted him and he did the dirty on you like that? I'll _kill_ him.”

Amélie shook her head. “You didn't _really_ assume he got away with it, did you? He's a dead man, _chérie_. I'm afraid Gabriel already beat you to it.”

Lena softened her grip around Amélie’s fingers and relaxed a little. “Well… good. I hope it hurt,” she grumbled.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry,” Amélie told her, giving her a wry smile. “Gabriel is not known for his patience nor his subtlety, but he made sure to draw out Gérard’s untimely death.”

A sharp shiver run through her at the thought of whatever torture this Gérard endured, at least before remembering that he deserved what he got. She nodded, looking up towards the sky.

Lena felt a light nudge at her ribs and shoulder, glancing down to find Amélie leaning her cool body against her own, curling up to her side and tucking her head just below her chin. She blinked, unsure of how to react.

Cautiously, Lena wrapped an arm around Amélie’s back and rested her gloved hand lightly over her side. She grinned at the sudden purr that erupted from the mermaid’s throat, and the vibration that buzzed under her palm. She sighed contently and closed her eyes.

In the last two weeks, she’d managed to meet a mermaid, blow herself up, then get _married_ to said mermaid. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought _any_ of this could ever happen, and yet here she was.

She felt the weight on her side move away, opening her eyes to find Amélie staring intently at her face. Her eyes darted over every feature, from her eyes to her freckled cheeks.

“... What? Somethin’ on my face, love?” She asked, using her free hand to rub at her cheek. For the briefest moment, Amélie’s eyes glanced down at her lips and her cheeks flushed before looking away.

After a few moments, the mermaid faced her again with a determined expression.

“I know you said we could take this slow but… could I kiss you?” She asked hopefully.

_Oh._

The unexpected question caused Lena to do a double take, and her cheeks warmed at the intense gaze she was receiving.

Lena stuttered. “A-are you sure? Because-”

“Yes.”

“-Because if you aren’t, you-”

“Lena- _”_

“I just want to make sure!” Lena told her anxiously.

_“Lena-”_

“I don’t want you thinkin’ you have to-” a cool hand over her lips stopped her mid sentence.

“Please. I want this,” Amélie assured. A flash of vulnerability passed over her features, catching Lena by surprise.

Lena nodded as Amélie slid the palm of her hand to her cheek, using her thumb to stroke the thin scar across her bottom lip. She smiled, leaning in to place her lips against Lena's.

Instinctively, Lena's eyes fluttered closed as their lips touched, and the taste of saltwater hit the tip of her tongue. The hand at her cheek slipped into her hair, fingers tangling snugly into her brown locks as she pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

In all honesty, the kiss wasn't as different as she was expecting. She'd expected more of a fishy taste, or a slimy texture to the mermaid's lips. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised that Amélie’s lips were cool and dry, soft and plump, sweet and salty as they moved lightly against her own.

Lena smiled into the kiss, prompting Amélie to pull back slightly with half lidded eyes and a questioning look on her face.

“Wow,” Lena breathed, still smiling. “Nice that I’m conscious for this one, eh?”

Amélie rolled her eyes and pushed her down. “Stop talking.”

“Yes, ma’am!” She grinned, giving her a two finger salute before lips were on her again.

After a little while of lounging in the sun and sweet kisses, the air had turned cold as the sun began to set, bringing the tide in with it. Lena watched as the foamy saltwater creeped closer with each wave.

She sighed, glancing up at the darkening sky. “Reckon I should probs head back to the ship, Angie’s gonna flip otherwise.”

Amélie followed her gaze, gripping onto her arm. “Please stay?”

She hesitated. On one hand, annoyed Angie. On the _other_ hand… _Amélie._  “Think we can move further up shore then? Can’t swim and I know it gets deep here.” 

Amélie chuckled, “I could always teach you, _chérie._ The sea floor is very pretty, and I think you would like the sight.”

Lena laughed nervously. “Baby steps first, love. I'd be happy just to not drown for a few minutes.”

Amélie tilted her head to the side and squinted at her, confused. “Drown…? Lena, you’re bonded to a mermaid, you won’t drown.”

“... You promise?”

“ _Oui._  Shall we?” Amélie gestured towards the creeping tide.

Lena nodded, watching as Amélie slipped off the rocks and under the waves, quickly dunking her head under before resurfacing and turning to watch her. Lena began to slowly remove her clothing, nervous with those golden eyes checking her out.

As soon as Lena removed the last of her clothing, she re-adjusted her accelerator casing and gingerly climbed down the rocks backwards, gripping onto the jagged edges tightly. She heard Amélie gasp behind her, and felt hands slide up her sides, guiding her down before rubbing over her back.

“Lena, your back.. have you seen the marks?” Amélie asked, stroking circles into the skin.

Lena shook her head. “No, Angie said it looked like bruises… why?”

She felt soft lips caress the nape of her neck before being twirled around in the water. Amélie gave her a small smile as they faced each other. “It matches my tail.”

“Only a few days bonded an’ we’ve already got matching tattoos,” Lena laughed, trying to crane her neck for a look. “Does it look nearly as pretty as yours?”

“No,” she murmured, fingers dancing over the stars on Lena's back, “it looks much prettier.”

She pulled Lena close to her and buried her face in her soft, messy hair, leaving a small kiss at the top of her head before pulling back and swimming into the moonlit sea. “Are you ready?”

The moonlight cast an almost ethereal glow on Amélie's body, soft white light shining off her scattered scales before being reflected back by the water gently ripping around her waist.  
  
Lena had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.

“I…” She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present and fumbled, waist deep in the water. “You promise you got me?” she asked nervously, goosebumps rising along her bare arms and torso as a gentle breeze whirled around them both.

“I promise, I will not let go,” the mermaid told her sincerely.

Lena took a shaky breath and took a few tentative steps further into the water, shivering slightly as the water climbed past her stomach and above her chest. She reached out for Amélie’s outstretched hand, only to find herself being pulled close up against her chest as the floor fell from beneath her feet.

“Oh, hello,” Lena whispered breathlessly, grinning as she glanced up at Amélie’s face.

The mermaid leant down slightly to give Lena a short, sweet kiss in response. She pulled away, resting her forehead against Lena's and gazing into her eyes. "Ready?" she asked, gently caressing Lena's back.

“As I'll ever be,” Lena murmured, heart speeding up.  
  
She nodded and moved one hand to Lena's shoulder, watching as Lena took a deep breath before diving deep with the young mechanic clinging to her waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe this is the last chapter... Not only did I write a friggin' novel (more than I planned), but I got a lot more notice and response than I was expecting. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who gave kudos and comments, reading those really made my day every time I posted! And thank you to the few people who read and re-read the story because you enjoyed it so much, because knowing it was enjoyed _that_ much is such a confidence booster! 
> 
> Big thank you to Nox, my glorious beta reader who put up with my shit for so long - I should send a gift basket, she deserves a pint and a massive stack of brownies. 
> 
> This definitely won't be the last of the Treacherous Waters universe, I've got a bunch of oneshots planned, including smut chapters for those who want that fish boning (you know who you are).


End file.
